Who Answers?
Are there hidden risks to using prescription opioids? According to a recent study, almost one in every ten people who are treated for chronic pain using prescription opioids become addicted. Additionally, approximately 1 in 3 will have signs and symptoms of opioid addiction, the startling report goes on to mention.
The odd and perhaps alarming finding seems to be the exact opposite of what many Oxycontin pharmaceutical companies report. Their claims show that less than 1% of these opioid prescriptions leave behind any addiction issues for patients. Such claims have researchers concerned.
Experts suggest that policymakers and clinicians may need a more accurate accounting of the opioid problems patients are having to account for the extent of the issues. Although there have been numerous reports regarding the opioid epidemic, it’s imperative to know how big the problem is to manage it.
For the current study, researchers used data from 148 different studies ranging from 1985 to 2021. From this accounting, more than 9% of chronic pain sufferers who received prescription opioids were later diagnosed with opioid use issues. Also, almost 30% of those using opioids for chronic pain begin showing symptoms illustrating dependence on the medication or full addiction. These symptoms included problems with cravings and increased tolerance levels.
From the data, it also appeared that about 22% of these opioid patients also showed other disturbing behavior, like attempting to get refills before they were due, continuous dose increases, and supposed lost prescriptions.
What is the key takeaway from this recent study? It would appear that using opioids can be a risky proposition if not monitored closely for management. Knowing the correct population of the problem is also needed and may mean more hands-on attention from those in charge of regulating policies and enforcing them, along with critical attention from clinicians prescribing them.
