Relationship between initial opioid prescription size and likelihood of refill after spine surgery

• About 26.3% of opioid-naïve patients obtained refills of their opioid prescriptions within 30 days of surgery.
• The likelihood of obtaining a refill was unchanged with the size of the initial perioperative prescription across procedure categories.
• Patient factors associated with increased likelihood of refills included age 30 to 39 years, female gender, anxiety disorder, mood disorder, and history of alcohol/substance abuse.
• For opioid-naïve patients, surgeons can prescribe lower amounts of opioids after elective surgery for degenerative spinal disease without concern of increased need for refills.

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Massie L, Gunaseelan V, Waljee J, Brummett C, Schwalb JM. Relationship between initial opioid prescription size and likelihood of refill after spine surgery. The Spine Journal. Published online 16 January 2021.DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spinee.2021.01.016