Study Finds Increase in Concurrent Opioid, Benzo Use

A study published this month in the British Medical Journal found a sharp increase in concurrent use of opioids and benzodiazepines among privately insured patients. The study looked at claims data for patients who were continuously enrolled in a health plan with medical and pharmacy benefits during the study period, from 2001 to 2013, and who also filled at least one opioid prescription. The authors, from Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco, compared trends among chronic opioid users with those who used opioids intermittently. They found that 9% of opioid us...