PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Emilie J Gladstone
AU  - Kate Smolina
AU  - Steven G Morgan
TI  - Trends and sex differences in prescription opioid deaths in British Columbia, Canada
AID  - 10.1136/injuryprev-2015-041604
DP  - 2016 Aug 01
TA  - Injury Prevention
PG  - 288--290
VI  - 22
IP  - 4
4099  - http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/22/4/288.short
4100  - http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/22/4/288.full
SO  - Inj Prev2016 Aug 01; 22
AB  - Increasing rates of prescription opioid-related death are well documented in Ontario (ON) but little is known about prescription opioid-related harms in other Canadian provinces. Using administrative mortality data from 2004 to 2013, we found that rates of prescription opioid-related death in British Columbia (BC) were higher but more stable than published rates for ON over the same period. Methadone was involved in approximately 25% of the prescription opioid-related deaths in BC. The majority of prescription opioid-related deaths among men and women were unintentional. Men had higher overall rates of prescription opioid-related deaths in BC; women had lower rates of prescription opioid-related deaths but a larger proportion of them were suicides. Efforts to reduce prescription opioid-related deaths must consider sex differences in patterns of prescription opioid use and associated harms.