Opioid Prescription Dangers Reinforced in Recent Study

September 2, 2009
by: Sylvia Marten

In the past, physicians have expressed reluctance about prescribing opioids for chronic back pain and other symptoms, and these concerns certainly seem more than justified following recent findings about the significant, dangerous misuse of such medications.

While opioids like oxycodone (Oxycontin, Percocet, Percodan), hydromorphone (Dilaudid), hydrocodone (Vicodin), etc. may be prescribed to treat chronic back pain, some doctors will not do so out of fear that patients will become addicted and that they themselves will be prosecuted for prescribing these drugs.

If these physician concerns initially seem a bit worrisome and cautious to those outside the medical field, consider the findings in a recent study that analyzed 938,586 urine toxicology tests of 500,000 patients who had been prescribed opioids for chronic conditions:

• Only 25 percent of the analyzed patients took their medications as prescribed (that is, without illicit drug use or misuse)
• 27 percent of the patients had a drug level higher than expected (indicating overuse of the opioids)
• 11 percent of the patients had major illicit drugs like cocaine or methamphetamines in their urine (indicating illegal drug use in conjunction with the prescribed opioid use).

It should also be known that the prescribed medication was not detected in 38 percent of the patients and that it was lower than expected in 15 percent of the patients, indicating patients taking less than prescribed amounts or even potential drug diversion (use of prescribed drugs for recreational or other unintended purposes).

Study Relevance to Back Pain Doctors and Patients

For doctors who treat back pain, this study highlights:

• The potential dangers of opioid prescriptions, particularly in terms of improper use and addiction
• The importance of physicians identifying patients who may be more prone to misuse, abuse or diversion of opioids
• The need for physicians to monitor prescribed opioid use by patients
• The benefits of urine testing as a tool for such monitoring

As for back pain patients, the study reinforces the need for them to clearly understand:

• The risks involved with opioid use, including what happens when you take too much or too little of these drugs, and how they react when taken in conjunction with other medications.

While speaking with a physician is often a great way to learn more about the benefits/dangers of opioids as prescribed pain medications, patients may also go the extra mile and do their own homework by checking out sites like the FDA, Medline Plus and a back-pain specific site like Spine-health.

For more information on back pain medications, visit our Pain Medication Health Center.

Source: Therapeutics Daily

More on This Topic:

• Pain Killer Addiction Treatment
• Rapid Opiate Detoxification Treatment
• Narcotic Pain Medications
• Medications for Back Pain and Neck Pain
• Using Medication to Manage Pain and Reduce Sleep Problems
• NSAIDs: Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs