A national ambulatory-care analysis measured concurrent medication listings at visits rather than confirmed simultaneous ingestion.
The visit-based finding
The analysis used US National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data from 2003–2016. Gabapentinoid-involved visits increased substantially over time. Benzodiazepines were listed in 15.3% of these visits, while opioids were listed in 32.9%.
Those are encounter-based medication patterns. They are not unique-patient prevalence estimates, and the percentages do not establish that all listed drugs were taken together on a particular day.
Exposure detail was missing
The dataset lacked medication dose and duration. Assessment of whether a gabapentinoid had an approved indication relied on the first three diagnosis codes, which could miss an indication recorded elsewhere. The study was not designed to estimate overdose risk from the benzodiazepine overlap.
For case review, a co-listed prescription is a starting point for obtaining actual administration, dispensing, and consumption information. The paper identifies common prescribing combinations in ambulatory practice; it does not establish a harmful interaction or inappropriate treatment in every listed encounter.
Source paper
Original analysis of the supplied journal article, identified as PMC7019734.
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