An Ontario study is suggesting that doctors appear to be prescribing lower amounts of opioid overall to treat patients with pain, but researchers say they have found geographical variations in opioid prescribing.

Overall, the volume of opioids dispensed fell by 18 per cent between 2015 and 2017, driven by a reduction in the amount of long-acting, slow-release formulations, such as fentanyl patches and some types of oxycodone, prescribed to patients.

Lead author Tara Gomes says the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit and Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit had the highest proportions of residents receiving opioids for pain, at 17.4 per cent of the population.

The Thunder Bay District Health Unit had the highest proportion of its population prescribed either methadone or suboxone to treat addiction, at 2.2 per cent, or about one in every 50 residents.

The study was done by the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network.

(The Canadian Press)

Filed under: North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit, opioids