Opioids in Long Term Use

Opioid Treatment for Chronic Pain

 

            Over the years there has been much controversy as to how exactly Opioids should be defined and whether or not they should be used for the purpose of analgesics.  Since addiction is extremely dangerous and common for Opioid use it is difficult to see the purpose in using it as an analgesic. Though it is being used for pain moderation it is hard to determine since pain is very subjective. Once the patient is prescribed an opioid for pain relief they immediately become subject to the addictive potentials of the opioid, thus defeating the purpose of the pain relief. Most doctors do not seek to maintain Opioid use for chronic, continuous pain so they have to be careful to determine the pain levels that could create longevity of Opioid use.

            This study implies that most people who use an Opioid tend to gain an addiction pretty quickly. By determining the short, but severe, pain that they can treat with Opioids and the Chronic, long term pain that they cannot treat with Opioids it shows the quickness of addiction that Opioids must create. Opioids must be handled carefully and this study shows the careful boundaries that the doctors must take in order to treat patients with them.

            Some of the limitations could be that only certain types of chronic pain were studied. This study speaks on cancer and treating the long-term pain of that disease with Opioids. However, by studying other diseases, such as MS or Parkinson’s, and seeing how Opioid use affects the long-term, chronic pain of those diseases, we can better understand how deeply the analgesic effects work. Another limitation could be that short-term, severe pain can be treated with Opioids and if that is a continuous occurrence, whether or not that could lead to an addiction. By studying both the chronic treatment and the short-term, severe treatment, we can better see how Opioids work best as analgesics.

ABSTRACT 

Burgess, H. J., Siddiqui, A., & Burgess, F. W. (2014). Long-term Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain and the Risk of Opioid Addiction. Rhode Island Medical Journal, 97(10), 25-28.