Tapentadol the most used opioid in Australia, study finds
Tapentadol overtaking oxycodone may reflect its preferential use post-surgery, researchers say.
Tapentadol has overtaken oxycodone as the most prescribed opioid in Australia, according to research that shows its use increased fivefold between 2015 and 2022.
The data are based on both PBS dispensing and total opioid sales, researchers from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre and Medicines Intelligence Centre of Research Excellence at UNSW Sydney say.
Their analysis showed that overall prescription opioid use dropped by 21% from 2015 to 2022, mostly due to decreased PBS scripts for controlled-release (CR) oxycodone, tramadol and morphine.
The only opioids for which use increased year-on-year were controlled- and immediate-release tapentadol.
