There is limited evidence about associations between prescription opioid discontinuation and mortality
Prescription opioid discontinuation and mortality due to suicide or unintentional overdose
December 2025
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There is limited and conflicting evidence about associations between prescription opioid discontinuation and mortality.
Two nested case–control studies explored associations between prescription opioid discontinuation and death due to suicide or unintentional overdose.
The studies were undertaken within a population-based cohort study linking dispensing data to health and mortality data sets for 371,048 adult residents of New South Wales, Australia, who were dispensed opioids for ≥6 months between July 1, 2003, and December 31, 2018.
Read the full study in PAIN.
