Articles: opioid.
-
In the past 2 decades, opioids have been used increasingly for the treatment of persistent pain, and doses have tended to creep up. As basic science elucidates mechanisms of pain and analgesia, the cross talk between central pain and opioid actions becomes clearer. ⋯ Newly revealed basic mechanisms suggest possible avenues for drug development and new drug therapies that could alter pain sensitization through endogenous and exogenous opioid mechanisms. Recent changes in practice such as the introduction of titration-to-effect for opioids have resulted in higher doses used in the clinic setting than ever seen previously. New basic science knowledge hints that these newer dosing practices may need to be reexamined. When pain worsens in a patient taking opioids, can we be assured that this is not because of the opioids, and can we alter this negative effect of opioids through different dosing strategies or new drug intervention?
-
Br J Clin Pharmacol · Jul 2016
Twenty-five years of prescription opioid use in Australia: a whole-of-population analysis using pharmaceutical claims.
The aim of this paper is to investigate 25-year trends in community use of prescribed opioid analgesics in Australia, and to map these trends against major changes to opioid registration and subsidy. ⋯ Opioid utilization in Australia is increasing, although these figures remain below levels reported in the US and Canada. The increased use of opioids was largely driven by the subsidy of long-acting formulations and opioids for the treatment of noncancer pain.
-
Fatal outcome of opioid overdose, once detected, is preventable through timely administration of the antidote naloxone. Take-home naloxone provision directly to opioid users for emergency use has been implemented recently in more than 15 countries worldwide, albeit mainly as pilot schemes and without formal evaluation. This systematic review assesses the effectiveness of take-home naloxone, with two specific aims: (1) to study the impact of take-home naloxone distribution on overdose-related mortality; and (2) to assess the safety of take-home naloxone in terms of adverse events. ⋯ Take-home naloxone programmes are found to reduce overdose mortality among programme participants and in the community and have a low rate of adverse events.
-
The risk for misuse of opioid medications is a significant challenge in the management of chronic pain. The identification of those who may be at greater risk for misusing opioids is needed to facilitate closer monitoring of high-risk subgroups, and may help to identify therapeutic targets for mitigating this risk. The aim of this study was to examine whether distress intolerance-the perceived or actual inability to manage negative emotional and somatic states-was associated with opioid misuse in those with chronic pain. A sample of 51 participants prescribed opioid analgesics for chronic back or neck pain were recruited for a 1-time laboratory study. Participants completed measures of distress intolerance and opioid misuse, and a quantitative sensory testing battery. Results suggested that distress intolerance was associated with opioid misuse, even controlling for pain severity and negative affect. Distress intolerance was not associated with pain severity, threshold, or tolerance, but was associated with self-reported anxiety and stress after noxious stimuli. This study found robust differences in distress intolerance between adults with chronic pain with and without opioid medication misuse. Distress intolerance may be a relevant marker of risk for opioid misuse among those with chronic pain. ⋯ This study demonstrated that distress intolerance was associated with opioid misuse in adults with chronic pain who were prescribed opioids. Distress intolerance can be modified with treatment, and thus may be relevant not only for identification of risk for opioid misuse, but also for mitigation of this risk.