In the article “Trends in the number of patients linked to potential vet-shopping behavior in the United States (2014–2019)” (Am J Vet Res. 2022;83(2):147–152), the label for the rows under “Controlled substance prescriptions from veterinar-ians” and “Controlled substance prescriptions from nonveterinarians” should be “Number of dispensed prescriptions.” The corrected table appears below.
Dispensed controlled substance prescriptions from US veterinarians and nonveterinarians from 2014 through 2019.
| Outcome | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled substance prescriptions from veterinarians | ||||||
| Number of dispensed prescriptions | ||||||
| Any controlled substance classa | 982,313 | 1,113,805 | 1,222,989 | 1,208,760 | 1,089,718 | 985,980 |
| Opioid analgesics | 518,876 | 609,712 | 664,948 | 634,708 | 539,048 | 435,338 |
| Opioid cough-and-cold medications | 106,663 | 113,783 | 144,006 | 165,030 | 184,017 | 211,960 |
| Benzodiazepines | 356,774 | 390,310 | 414,035 | 409,022 | 366,653 | 338,682 |
| Median (25th to 75th percentile) | ||||||
| No. of days opioids were supplied | ||||||
| Opioid analgesics | 20 (10–30) | 20 (10–30) | 20 (10–30) | 20 (10–30) | 21 (10–30) | 21 (10–30) |
| Opioid cough-and-cold medications | 18 (10–30) | 20 (10–30) | 22 (10–30) | 22 (10–30) | 24 (12–30) | 25 (13–30) |
| Benzodiazepines | 14 (7–30) | 14 (7–30) | 15 (7–30) | 15 (7–30) | 15 (7–30) | 15 (8–30) |
| Controlled substance prescriptions | ||||||
| Number of dispensed prescriptions | ||||||
| Any controlled substance classa | 313,157,005 | 312,370,334 | 302,143,456 | 282,925,989 | 255,190,143 | 235,382,862 |
| Opioid analgesics | 204,462,657 | 199,936,819 | 192,303,379 | 178,191,995 | 158,127,646 | 144,806,135 |
| Opioid cough-and-cold medications | 7,695,426 | 6,947,405 | 6,182,340 | 5,467,784 | 4,031,557 | 3,297,363 |
| Benzodiazepines | 100,998,922 | 105,486,110 | 103,657,737 | 99,266,210 | 92,760,940 | 87,279,364 |
| Median (25th to 75th percentile) | ||||||
| No. of days opiods were supplied | ||||||
| Opioid analgesics | 15 (5–30) | 15 (5–30) | 16 (5–30) | 20 (5–30) | 20 (5–30) | 20 (5–30) |
| Opioid cough-and-cold medications | 8 (6–12) | 8 (6–12) | 8 (6–12) | 8 (6–12) | 8 (5–12) | 7 (5–12) |
| Benzodiazepines | 30 (25–30) | 30 (28–30) | 30 (28–30) | 30 (28–30) | 30 (25–30) | 30 (24–30) |
Classes of controlled substances included opioid analgesics, opioid cough-and-cold medications, or benzodiazepines. Opioid analgesics excluded injectable formulations but included buprenorphine formulations used for analgesia. Opioid cough-and-cold medications included products that combined hydrocodone or codeine with medications such as guaifenesin or phenylephrine. Benzodiazepines were limited to oral formulations.
