Fig. 1

Prescribing pattern of the prescribing cascade ACEi – antitussive (n = 20,313 patients). The start of the ACEi (index medication) is set at month 0. The frequencies of the initial antitussive (marker medication) prescriptions are shown before (light grey bar charts) and after the start of the ACEi (dark grey bar charts). The asymmetrical prescribing pattern implies an association between the ACEi and the antitussive. Note that in the first months of the index and marker medication, there is an increase in both the light and dark grey bar charts. This phenomenon is often seen. This might be attributed to the initiation of one medication, leading to more healthcare visits and the initiation of other medication (i.e., medication initiation being temporally correlated with each other)