Publications by authors named "Bryn D Williams"
Aim: This research aimed to describe how the characteristics of deaths following drug use changed during the COVID-19 pandemic in England, and how this can inform future strategy to support the health and social care of people who use drugs in future emergency scenarios.
Method: All deaths reported to the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths which occurred between January 2018 and December 2021 inclusive were extracted for analysis. Exponential smoothing models were constructed to determine any differences between forecasted vs.
Article Synopsis
- Gabapentinoids, like gabapentin and pregabalin, were classified as Schedule II medications in the UK in 2019 due to concerns about misuse, with a study analyzing 3,051 deaths linked to their use in England.
- A significant number of these deaths involved both prescribed and illicit gabapentinoids, with opioids being present in most cases, indicating a dangerous interaction between the two.
- The study concluded that while gabapentinoids alone rarely cause death, they can lead to fatal outcomes when combined with opioids, highlighting the need for doctors and patients to reconsider co-prescribing practices.
Aim: To identify trends in drug-related deaths associated with fentanyl and its derivatives, including novel variants, in England, 1998-2017.
Methods: Case reports from the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths (NPSAD) where a pharmaceutical fentanyl or non-pharmaceutical fentanyl derivative (NPFD) was found at post-mortem and/or implicated in the death were extracted for analysis.
Results: NPSAD has received case reports detailing 298 deaths in England from 1998-2017 where a fentanyl was found at post-mortem and/or implicated in the death.