Call Us 843.740.1723 ☰ ˟
843.740.1723
Logo
Español
  • Home
  • Get A Quote
    • Annuities
    • Automobile
    • Bonds
    • Business & CommercialImage of right arrow
      • Commercial Auto Insurance Quote
      • General Liability Quote Form
      • Business Owners (BOP) Quote Form
      • Builders Risk
      • Liquor Liability Quote Form
      • Workers Compensation Quote
    • Dental
    • Earthquake
    • Flood
    • HealthImage of right arrow
      • Health Insurance Quote
      • Medicare Advantage Plans
      • Medicare Supplemental Insurance
    • HomeownersImage of right arrow
      • Homeowners Insurance Quote
      • Manufactured Home Quote
      • Homeowner Flood Quote Form
    • LifeImage of right arrow
      • Life Insurance Quote
      • Term Life Insurance Quote
      • Final Expense Insurance (No Medical Questions)
    • Limousine
    • Motorcycle
    • Personal Umbrella Insurance
    • Recreational Vehicle
    • Renters
    • SupplementalImage of right arrow
      • Medicare Supplemental Insurance
      • Medicare Advantage Plans
    • Trucking
    • Watercraft & Boat
    • Windstorm
  • Customer Service
    • AutomobileImage of right arrow
      • Request ID Card for Auto Policy
      • Request Declaration and Coverages Page for Auto Policy
      • Send Declaration and Coverages Information to Lien Holder
      • Add Vehicle to Existing Auto Policy
      • Remove Vehicle from Existing Auto Policy
      • Add Driver to Existing Auto Policy
      • Remove Driver from Existing Auto Policy
    • Business & CommercialImage of right arrow
      • Request ID Card for Commercial Auto Policy
      • Request Declaration and Coverages Page for Commercial Auto Policy
      • Add Vehicle to Existing Commercial Auto Policy
      • Remove Vehicle from Existing Commercial Auto Policy
      • Add Driver to Existing Commercial Auto Policy
      • Remove Driver from Existing Commercial Auto Policy
      • Request General Liability Certificate of Insurance
    • Flood
    • HomeownersImage of right arrow
      • Request Declaration and Coverages for Existing Homeowners Insurance Coverage
      • Request Evidence of Insurance
  • Blog
  • Make a Payment
  • Resources
    • Secure File Area
    • Refer a Friend
    • Important Links
    • Calculators
    • Important Files
    • Insurance Glossary
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • About Us
    • About Roe & Associates, Inc.
    • Location Map
    • Employee Directory
    • Partners
    • Customer Testimonials
    • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Join Our Newsletter
Home > Blog > Study: 1 in 4 People Prescribed Opioids Progressed to Longer-Term Prescriptions
THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2015

Study: 1 in 4 People Prescribed Opioids Progressed to Longer-Term Prescriptions

PillsOpioid painkiller addiction and accidental overdoses have become far too common across the United States. To try to identify who is most at risk, Mayo Clinic researchers studied how many patients prescribed an opioid painkiller for the first time progressed to long-term prescriptions. The answer: 1 in 4. People with histories of tobacco use and substance abuse were likeliest to use opioid painkillers long-term.

The findings are published in the July issue of the medical journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

While the study identified past or present nicotine use and substance abuse as top risk factors for long-term use of opioids, all patients should proceed with caution when offered opioid painkiller prescriptions, says lead author W. Michael Hooten, M.D., an anesthesiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

“From a patient perspective, it is important to recognize the potential risks associated with these medications. I encourage use of alternative methods to manage pain, including non-opioid analgesics or other nonmedication approaches,” Dr. Hooten says. “That reduces or even eliminates the risk of these medications transitioning to another problem that was never intended.”

Discovering who is likeliest to end up using the drugs long-term is critically important due to the widespread problems associated with their misuse, he says.

“Many people will suggest it’s actually a national epidemic. More people now are experiencing fatal overdoses related to opioid use than compared to heroin and cocaine combined,” Dr. Hooten says, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Researchers used the National Institutes of Health-funded Rochester Epidemiology Project to get a random sample of 293 patients who received a new prescription in 2009 for an opioid painkiller such as oxycodone, morphine, hydromorphone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, meperidine, codeine and methadone.

They found that 21 percent, or 61 people, progressed from short-term use to prescriptions lasting three to four months, and 6 percent, or 19, of the 293 studied ended up with more than a four-month supply of the drugs.

The identification of nicotine use and substance abuse as top risk factors for long-term use of opioids suggests that physicians should be particularly careful about prescribing the painkillers to patients with such histories, Dr. Hooten says.

Why is there such a connection? The science shows it’s all in our heads. The neurobiology related to chronic pain, chronic opioid use and addiction is similar, Dr. Hooten says. For example, nicotine activates a group of receptors, or brain structures, in a way very similar to how opioids and chronic pain may activate them.

Long-term opioid use may actually make people more sensitive to pain – a condition called opioid-induced hyperalgesia, another recently published study by Dr. Hooten and other Mayo researchers found.

If opioids must be used, as is usually the case with surgery or traumatic injuries, reducing the dose and limiting the duration is important, Dr. Hooten says.

“The next step in this research is to drill down and find more detailed information about the potential role of dose and quantity of medication prescribed,” he says. “It is possible that higher dose or greater quantities of the drug with each prescription are important predictors of longer-term use.”

(Source: Mayo Clinic)

Posted 2:05 PM

Tags: health insurance,
Share |


No Comments


Post a Comment
Required
Required (Not Displayed)
Required


All comments are moderated and stripped of HTML.

NOTICE: This blog and website are made available by the publisher for educational and informational purposes only. It is not be used as a substitute for competent insurance, legal, or tax advice from a licensed professional in your state. By using this blog site you understand that there is no broker client relationship between you and the blog and website publisher.
Blog Archive
  • 2016
  • 2015
  • 2014

  • insurance(33)
  • south carolina(27)
  • charleston(17)
  • home insurance(9)
  • north charleston(8)
  • car insurance(7)
  • health insurance(7)
  • homeowners(5)
  • fatal car crashes(5)
  • flood insurance(4)
  • auto insurance(4)
  • business(2)
  • epli(2)
  • obamacare(2)
  • sr-22 insurance(2)
  • sr22 insurance(2)
  • employment practices liability insurance(2)
  • business insurance(2)
  • dwi(2)
  • fog(1)
  • dui(1)
  • insurance claims(1)
  • teen drivers(1)
  • drunk driving(1)
  • scotus(1)
  • life insurance(1)
  • natural disaster(1)
  • summer grilling(1)
  • what is force placed home insurance(1)
  • pets(1)
  • epo(1)
  • medicare advantage(1)
  • hmo(1)
  • snow(1)
  • sui(1)
  • car safety(1)
  • odds of dying(1)
  • homeowners insurance(1)
  • supreme court decision(1)
  • charleston home insurance(1)
  • replacement cost(1)
  • earthquake(1)
  • market value(1)
  • myths(1)
  • sc(1)
  • charleston home buying tips(1)
  • burglary(1)
  • hurricane tool(1)
  • business owners(1)
  • crosswinds(1)

View Mobile Version
Logo
Quick Links
Home Our Products Customer Service Payment Options Report a Claim
About Us Refer A Friend Our Carriers Blog Contact Us
Location
Roe & Associates, Inc.
7089 Rivers Ave
North Charleston, SC 29406

Ph: 843-740-1723

Fax: 843-740-0178
Email: Raymond@Raymondroe.com
Social Social Social Social
© Copyright. All rights reserved.
Powered by Insurance Website Builder