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Table 3 Overall pattern of current and previous medication use

From: The clinical characteristics of older people with chronic multiple-site joint pains and their utilisation of therapeutic interventions: data from a prospective cohort study

 

Paracetamol

NSAID

Cox2 inhibitor

Oral co-codamol

Other oral opioida

Transdermal opioid

Glucosamine/Chondroitin

Hydroxychloroquine

Current drug use

124 (62)

71 (35)

6 (3)

58 (29)

47 (23)

14 (7)

12 (6)

4 (2)

Prescription drug

47 (38)

40 (56)

6 (100)

47 (81)

47 (100)

14 (100)

0 (0)

4 (100)

Reason for use

 For most painful joint

68 (55)

46 (65)

3 (50)

36 (62)

22 (47)

2 (14)

1 (12)

2 (50)

 For overall pain

56 (45)

25 (35)

3 (50)

22 (38)

25 (53)

12 (86)

11 (88)

2 (50)

Drug experience

 Effective

50 (40)

49 (69)

3 (50)

32 (55)

29 (62)

6 (43)

7 (58)

3 (75)

 Not effective

74 (60)

22 (31)

3 (50)

26 (45)

18 (38)

8 (57)

5 (42)

1 (25)

 Side effects

3 (2)

12 (17)

6 (100)

24 (41)

24 (51)

3 (21)

0 (0)

0 (0)

Frequency of use

 Regular use

28 (23)

18 (25)

5 (83)

19 (33)

22 (47)

12 (86)

11 (88)

4 (100)

 Only when in pain

96 (77)

53 (75)

1 (17)

39 (67)

25 (53)

2 (14)

1 (12)

0 (0)

Previous drug use

52 (26)

119 (60)

4 (2)

87 (43)

53 (26)

9 (4)

70 (35)

5 (3)

Reason stoppedb

 Side effects

1 (2)

78 (66)

4 (100)

52 (60)

43 (81)

4 (44)

4 (5)

4 (80)

 Inefficacy

42 (81)

32 (26)

0 (0)

20 (23)

6 (11)

3 (33)

58 (83)

1 (20)

 Loss of efficacy

9 (17)

7 (5)

0 (0)

7 (7)

1 (2)

0 (0)

3 (4)

0 (0)

 Doesn’t like taking pills

0 (0)

1 (1)

0 (0)

5 (5)

1 (2)

2 (22)

4 (5)

0 (0)

 Pain not severe enough

0 (0)

4 (3)

0 (0)

5 (5)

2 (0)

1 (11)

2 (3)

0 (0)

  1. Values shown are number of participants (%)
  2. aOther oral opioid includes codeine phosphate, tramadol and oral morphine
  3. bSome participants had more than one reason for stopping medication