J Korean Med Sci.  2025 Mar;40(12):e53. 10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e53.

Psychotropic Drug Use in Korean Patients With Osteoarthritis

• Kang SH
• Kim HA
• Choi I
• Park CM
• Jhang H
• Kim J
• Go DJ
• Jang S

• KMID: 2566258
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e53

Abstract

Background
There are few safe effective ways to relieve osteoarthritis (OA) pain; as a result, off-label psychotropic drug prescriptions have increased worldwide. This study examined the change in psychotropic drug prescriptions for patients with OA from 2011 to 2020 using the Korean National Health Insurance Service dataset.
Methods
The study population consisted of patients with hip or knee OA aged ≥ 65 years. Psychotropic drugs included opioids, benzodiazepines, non-benzodiazepine hypnotics (Z-drugs), anti-epileptics, tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), typical antipsychotics, atypical antipsychotics, and anxiolytics. The prevalence and long-term (> 3 months) prescription rates of psychotropic drugs in OA patients were calculated.
Results
The study included 1,821,158 patients with OA (mean age 71.7 years; 65.32% female). Of the cohort, 49% had comorbidities for which psychotropics were indicated. The prevalence of psychotropic prescriptions decreased from 58.2% to 52.0% in 2018 and then leveled off. The long-term prescription rate remained constant until 2018 and then increased slightly. The most commonly prescribed psychotropics were opioids and long- and short-acting benzodiazepines. The prescription rates of opioids and long-acting benzodiazepines decreased from 2011 to 2020. For those with psychiatric co-morbidities, the prescription rates of anti-epileptics and SNRIs increased, while the prescription rates of anti-epileptics, SSRIs, other antidepressants, and atypical psychotropics increased for those without such co-morbidities. The most commonly prescribed psychotropics were diazepam and alprazolam, excluding tramadol and tramadol–acetaminophen combination. For those with psychiatric co-morbidities, the prescription rates of gabapentin and fentanyl increased, while for those without such co-morbidities, the prescription rates of lorazepam, fentanyl, escitalopram and quetiapine increased.
Conclusion
A significant number of older Korean patients with OA were prescribed psychotropic drugs in the absence of comorbidities requiring such drugs, including drugs that have little effect on OA and unfavorable safety profiles in older adults.

Keyword

Osteoarthritis; Psychotropics; Opioids; Benzodiazepine; Diazepam; Alprazolam; Fentanyl