National retrospective cohort study reveals trends in gabapentin and opioid prescriptions in adolescents, suggesting concerns about unnecessary opioid use.
Gabapentin dispensing increased over time, and more than one-third of adolescents were dispensed a refill prescription. Co-prescription with opioids did not appear to be associated with decreased opioid quantity in the initial prescription or decreased likelihood of obtaining a refill opioid prescription after undergoing a study procedure. In addition, opioids were often prescribed when they were unlikely to be needed for postoperative pain management.
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Sutherland et al. (2026) studied this question.
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