Articles: opioid.
-
The number of older jail inmates in poor health is increasing rapidly. Among older adults, pain is common and leads to greater acute care use. In jail, pain management is complicated by concerns about misuse and diversion. A lack of data about the prevalence and management of pain in older jail inmates limits our ability to develop optimal palliative care strategies for this population. ⋯ High rates of pain in a rapidly growing population of older jail inmates with multimorbidity and functional impairment suggest that jails are an important site for assessing symptom burden and developing appropriate palliative care interventions.
-
J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Dec 2014
Case ReportsAuditory symptoms as an unrecognized manifestation of opioid toxicity: two case reports.
Neuropsychiatric and gastrointestinal side effects of opioids are well documented, but self-reported hearing disturbance from opioids is often unrecognized. Two cases are presented illustrating a possible association between auditory symptoms and opioid toxicity. Possible mechanisms are discussed.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Dec 2014
Legal barriers in accessing opioid medicines: results of the ATOME quick scan of national legislation of eastern European countries.
Overregulation of controlled medicines is one of the factors contributing to limited access to opioid medicines. ⋯ The selected countries have in common as main barriers prescribing and dispensing restrictions, the use of stigmatizing language, and incorrect use of definitions. The practical impact of these barriers identified using a quick scan method needs to be validated by other means.
-
Overprescribing of opioid pain relievers (OPR) can result in multiple adverse health outcomes, including fatal overdoses. Interstate variation in rates of prescribing OPR and other prescription drugs prone to abuse, such as benzodiazepines, might indicate areas where prescribing patterns need further evaluation. ⋯ State policy makers might reduce the harms associated with the abuse of prescription drugs by implementing changes that will make the prescribing of these drugs more cautious and more consistent with clinical recommendations.