Relationship Between Opioid Prescriptions and Number of Chronic Pain Conditions in Women With Interstitial Cystitis

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between opioid prescriptions and number of chronic pain conditions in women with interstitial cystitis (IC). METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. Women diagnosed with IC based on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision/Tenth Revision codes over an 11-year period (2010-2020) were identified from electronic medical records. Data on comorbidities and ambulatory opioid prescriptions were also extracted. Univariable and multivariable logistic regressions were used to assess the relationship between opioid prescriptions and the number and type of coexisting chronic pain conditions. RESULTS: Of the 1,219 women with IC, 207 (17%) had received at least 1 opioid prescription. The proportions of women with opioid prescriptions for no, 1, 2, and 3 or more coexisting chronic pain conditions were 13%, 20%, 28%, and 32%, respectively. On univariable analysis, factors significantly associated with opioid use were higher body mass index ( P < 0.001), depression ( P < 0.001), sleep disorder ( P < 0.001), endometriosis ( P < 0.05), chronic pelvic pain ( P < 0.001), fibromyalgia ( P < 0.05), joint pain ( P < 0.001), and number of coexisting chronic pain diagnoses ( P < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, opioid prescriptions remained significantly associated with the number of coexisting chronic pain diagnoses: 1 diagnosis (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3-2.7), 2 diagnoses (aOR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.6-4.3), 3 or more diagnoses (aOR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.1-5.5), diagnosis of chronic pelvic pain (aOR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.3-3.5), endometriosis (aOR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.4-4.3), chronic joint pain (aOR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.1-2.9), and sleep disorders (aOR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.6-3.6). CONCLUSION: The likelihood of opioid prescriptions in women with IC increases with the number and type of coexisting chronic pain conditions and sleep disorders.