Prescription Trends of Opioid and Nonopioid Controlled Prescription Adjunctive Analgesics Before and After Cervical Spinal Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: Cervical spine surgery may be needed in those with refractory pain or neurologic deficits to improve outcomes in patients with cervical spine disease. However, consensus varies in the literature on the effect of surgery on opioid use. The objectives of this study were to analyze prescription rates of multiple controlled substances before and after cervical spine surgery and distinguish factors that may have contributed to opioid use after surgery.

Design: This is a retrospective cohort study analyzing prescription trends of various controlled substances in 632 patients who underwent cervical spine surgery from 2019 to 2021.

Results: Opioids have the largest rise in prescriptions at 3- and 6-mo time points after cervical spine surgery. A significant association ( P < 0.001) was found between opioid use 1 yr before and 1 yr after cervical spine surgery. Exposure to opioids before surgery (odds ratio = 2.77, 95% confidence interval = 1.43-5.51, P = 0.003) and higher morphine milligram equivalent dose (odds ratio = 1.02, 95% confidence interval =1.01-1.04, P = 0.012) were found to be associated with opioid use after surgery. Significantly more females were prescribed controlled substances ( P = 0002).

Conclusions: Higher morphine milligram equivalent dose and opioid exposure before surgery are important factors in predicting postsurgical opioid use.