Characteristics of patients newly prescribed the fentanyl patch, 2001–2012
| Characteristic | No. (%) n = 11 063 |
|---|---|
| Sex | |
| Female | 6884 (62.2) |
| Male | 4179 (37.8) |
| Age group, yr | |
| ≤ 64 | 4692 (42.4) |
| 65–74 | 1894 (17.1) |
| 75–84 | 2500 (22.6) |
| ≥ 85 | 1977 (17.9) |
| Initial dose of fentanyl patch, μg/h | |
| 12 | 1293 (11.7) |
| 25 | 7739 (70.0) |
| 50 | 1459 (13.2) |
| 75 | 363 (3.3) |
| 100 | 209 (1.9) |
| Prior opioid exposure* | |
| Single-entity LA opioid | 2956 (26.7) |
| Single-entity IR opioid | 1889 (17.1) |
| Oxycodone/acetaminophen | 1289 (11.7) |
| Codeine/acetaminophen | 2406 (21.7) |
| No exposure | 2523 (22.8) |
Note: IR = immediate release, LA = long acting.
↵* Mutually exclusive groups of patients categorized by highest to lowest level of opioid used in the 90 days preceding the first fentanyl patch prescription (highest = single-entity LA opioid; lowest = codeine/acetaminophen combination).