Dispensing of fentanyl and tapentadol in community pharmacy: Patient profile and therapeutic indication in chronic non-oncological pain

Introduction: In recent years there has been an increase in the prescription and dispensation of strong opioids, highlighting fentanyl and tapentadol. The professional interest has been justified by the high prevalence of patients with chronic non-oncological pain that come to the community pharmacy. 

Objectives: Knowing the indication of the named strong opioids in the sample.
The profile recognition of patients that use those treatments with non-oncological pain.

Material/Methods: Observational, descriptive and transverse study performed by 139 community pharmacists. Target population: people over 18 years old that come to community pharmacy with a prescription of fentanyl or tapentadol.  The collected variables were age, sex, pathology, chronic/acute character, indication, reason of pain, dispensed active principles (knowledge of posology, administration, possible adverse reactions), adherence (Haynes- Sackett Test), pain (Visual Analogic Scale), and the pharmacist’s intervention.

Results: 559 patients were included in the research. 85,5% had non-oncological indication of which 4,0% were indicated for acute treatments and 96,0%  for chronic non-oncological pain. Patients who had non-oncological indication: 20,3% low back pain, 29,1% osteoarthritis, and 50,6% other pathologies.
Patients with non-oncological pain 73,0% were women and 54,9% were patients over 70 years old.

Conclusions: Use of fentanyl and tapentadol is more common in women and in patients over 70 years old.
The strong opioids fentanyl and tapentadol dispensed in Community Pharmacy are used to treat mainly non-oncological pain. The most non-oncological pathologies treated with fentanyl and tapentadol are osteoarthritis and low back pain.