Portrait of opioid use in persons covered by Québec's public prescription drug insurance plan

Concerned about the potentially inappropriate use of prescribed opioids in Québec, the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS) asked the Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS) to provide a portrait of the use of this class of drugs in persons covered by Québec’s public prescription drug insurance plan (RPAM).

The prevalence of opioid use (10%) and the cumulative incidence of new opioid users (7%) remained stable during the study years (2006-2016). It was also noted :  

• the prevalence of opioid use in 2016, compared to 2006, increased in the 55 year old age group or more.
• the prevalence of the use of hydromorphone and morphine increased from 2006 to 2016, while that of the other main opioids of interest was stable (fentanyl and oxycodone) or declined (codeine).
• the vast majority of new users with no history of diagnosed cancer used opioids for a short period of time and at a low mean daily dose, and this even includes those who obtained at least one prescription for a long-acting opioid.