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Opioid initiation rates were higher in individuals with Parkinson’s disease, starting up to 3 years before diagnosis and increasing over time.  

The study published in the June 2025 issue of the European Journal of Pain used data from the Finnish nationwide register-based study on Parkinson’s disease (FINPARK) to examine opioid use incidence from 5 years before to 5 years after a Parkinson’s disease (PD) diagnosis, comparing it with a matched control cohort.  

Pain was recognized as a common and early symptom of PD, though changes in analgesic use over time had not been previously described.  

They analyzed data from 15,763 individuals diagnosed with PD between 2001 and 2014 and 62,907 matched controls without PD and calculated the opioid initiation rates in 6-month intervals and compared both groups using incidence rate ratios (IRRs).  

The results showed higher opioid initiation among individuals with PD at 37.0% compared to 31.2% in those without PD. This difference began 3 years before PD diagnosis with an IRR of 1.33 (1.16–1.53) and persisted through the 10-year follow-up. Mild opioids, including tramadol and codeine, were most frequently initiated, with the largest gap seen 6 months before diagnosis. In contrast, stronger opioids showed increased use only after diagnosis. Opioid initiation continued to rise over time and stayed elevated across all classes in the PD group compared to controls.  

Investigators concluded that individuals with PD experienced a higher incidence of moderate to severe pain demanding opioid-class analgesics. 

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejp.70056