Patients who take daily doses of opioids for nonmalignant pain are at higher risk of opioid-related mortality, especially if daily doses exceed clinically recommended thresholds, according to research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Researchers assessed a population of more than 607,000 patients, aged 15-64 years, who were prescribed an opioid from Aug. 1997-Dec. 2006 for nonmalignant pain. They identified 498 patients whose deaths were associated with their opioid prescription and 1,714 matched controls. Their analysis showed that an average daily opioid dose of 200 mg or more of morphine was connected to a three-fold increased risk of opioid-related mortality. Intermediate opioid doses (50-99 mg of morphine) still showed significantly increased risk of opioid-related mortality.
Read the study about opioid-related mortality among nonmalignant pain patients.
Read other coverage about pain management:
- Florida's Surgeon General Signs Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Into Effect
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Releases Teaching Tools for Physicians
- Multi-Pronged Therapy Including Spinal Decompression Reduces Chronic Back Pain
Researchers assessed a population of more than 607,000 patients, aged 15-64 years, who were prescribed an opioid from Aug. 1997-Dec. 2006 for nonmalignant pain. They identified 498 patients whose deaths were associated with their opioid prescription and 1,714 matched controls. Their analysis showed that an average daily opioid dose of 200 mg or more of morphine was connected to a three-fold increased risk of opioid-related mortality. Intermediate opioid doses (50-99 mg of morphine) still showed significantly increased risk of opioid-related mortality.
Read the study about opioid-related mortality among nonmalignant pain patients.
Read other coverage about pain management:
- Florida's Surgeon General Signs Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Into Effect
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Releases Teaching Tools for Physicians
- Multi-Pronged Therapy Including Spinal Decompression Reduces Chronic Back Pain