| Abstract: | Objective: The aim of the study was to examine the profile of analgesic and psychotropic medication use in community dwelling older people with chronic pain of non‐malignant origin. Method: Two groups of older people with chronic pain were compared. The first group comprised 193 from a random sample of 1,000 community dwelling older people. The second group comprised 150 consecutive patients from a pain management centre for older people. Results: The overall use prevalence of analgesic and psychotropic medications was similar in the two study groups. However, significant differences in use prevalence of sub categories of analgesic and psychotropic medications were found between the two study groups. The referred patients with neurological and non‐musculoskeletal conditions as the main causes of pain were more likely to use narcotics and anti‐depressants, while the community sample with the majority having musculoskeletal pain was more likely to use non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs. Conclusion: The differences regarding the use of analgesic and psychotropic medications between the two study groups appear to be associated with different causes of pain. |
