Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health looked at the dis-maying increase in the number of prescriptions being filled for non-benzodiazepine sleeping pills and gabapentinoids over the past 20 years. They wanted to learn more about the number of overdose deaths due to those medications and their usage with other substances.
The researchers found that drug overdose deaths due to these drugs grew more than threefold between 2000-2018. This increase coincided with the higher number of prescriptions written during that time.
What are Gabapentinoids?
Gabapentinoids refer to the medication gabapentin. It prevents and controls seizures and alleviates nerve pain in patients with shingles. Physicians also prescribe gabapentin for restless legs syndrome (an uncontrollable urge to move the legs due to an uncom-fortable feeling).
Gabapentin works by decreasing the level of “abnormal excitement” in the brain and it relieves nerve pain by changing the way the body registers it. Scientists aren’t sure ex-actly why this medication works for patients with restless legs syndrome. Doctors may prescribe this drug to treat anxiety and insomnia.
Non-benzodiazepine Sleeping Pills
Benzodiazepines are a class of drugs commonly known as “downers.” They are tran-quilizers and may help with sleep problems. However, not all medicines to help with sleep fall into this class of drugs. The Columbia University researchers were specifically studying sleeping pills that are non-benzodi-azepines.
How Data Was Collected and Studied
Researchers used data collected by the National Center for Health Statistics. They cal-culated the overdose rate per 100,000 persons annually from 2000 to 2018.
• Between 2000-2018, 788,135 people died from a drug overdose.
• Of those, 587,884 people had a specific code for the drug involved in their death.
• Examining these deaths further, 21,167 had a T42.6/T42.7 ICD (International Classification of Diseases) code. Gabapentinoids and sleeping pills were among the autopsy findings.
Opioids a Significant Factor in Overdose Deaths
More than two-thirds of the people who died from drug overdoses also had opioids in their system. This finding indicated to researchers that using multiple substances is common.Researchers found those who died from an overdose of the three drugs in combination were likely to fit the following profile:
• The overdose was likely intentional.
• They were more likely to be women.
• They were more likely to be white.
• They were more likely to have a higher educational background.
Gabapentin and alternatives to benzodiazepines are available to treat pain and sleep is-sues. The researchers found that patients are taking opioids and downers simultaneously, and this practice is dangerous and often proves fatal. The researchers’ findings appeared in The Lancet Regional Health-Americas.