Researchers say that pain patients taking long term, high doses of opioids should be screened for hormonal abnormalities, according to a report in Medpage Today.
In a study presented at the American Academy of Pain meeting in Palm Springs, Calif., the majority of patients taking high doses of opioids over a longer period of time had lower testosterone levels, as predicted. But some patients also had abnormalities in cortisol, corticotropin and pregnenolone, which may indicate an incomplete resolution of pain, according to Forest Tennant, MD, DrPH, of the Veract Intractable Pain Clinic in West Covina, Calif.
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In a study presented at the American Academy of Pain meeting in Palm Springs, Calif., the majority of patients taking high doses of opioids over a longer period of time had lower testosterone levels, as predicted. But some patients also had abnormalities in cortisol, corticotropin and pregnenolone, which may indicate an incomplete resolution of pain, according to Forest Tennant, MD, DrPH, of the Veract Intractable Pain Clinic in West Covina, Calif.
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