Prescription opioid treatment for non-cancer pain and initiation of injection drug use: large retrospective cohort study.

James WiltonYounathan AbdiaMei ChongMohammad Ehsanul KarimStanley WongAaron MacInnesRob BalshawBin ZhaoTara GomesAmanda YuMaria AlvarezRichard C DartMel KrajdenJane A BuxtonNaveed Z JanjuaRoy Purssell

Published in: BMJ (Clinical research ed.) (2021)

The rate of IDU initiation among individuals who received chronic prescription opioid treatment for non-cancer pain was infrequent overall (3-4% within five years) but about eight times higher than among opioid naive individuals. These findings could have implications for strategies to prevent IDU initiation, but should not be used as a reason to support involuntary tapering or discontinuation of long term prescription opioid treatment.

Keyphrases

chronic pain
pain management
papillary thyroid
neuropathic pain
squamous cell
young adults