The Effectiveness and Risks of Long-Term Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review for a National Institutes of Health Pathways to Prevention Workshop

2015 ◽  
Vol 162 (4) ◽  
pp. 276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Chou ◽  
Judith A. Turner ◽  
Emily B. Devine ◽  
Ryan N. Hansen ◽  
Sean D. Sullivan ◽  
...  
2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica S. Merlin ◽  
Kanan Patel ◽  
Nicole Thompson ◽  
Jennifer Kapo ◽  
Frank Keefe ◽  
...  

2011 ◽  
Vol 3;14 (2;3) ◽  
pp. 91-121
Author(s):  
Laxmaiah Manchikanti

Background: Even though opioids have been used for pain for thousands of years, opioid therapy for chronic non-cancer pain is controversial due to concerns regarding the long-term effectiveness and safety, particularly the risk of tolerance, dependance, or abuse. While the debate continues, the use of chronic opioid therapy for chronic non-cancer pain has increased exponentially. Even though evidence is limited, multiple expert panels have concluded that chronic opioid therapy can be effective therapy for carefully selected and monitored patients with chronic non-cancer pain. Study Design: A systematic review of randomized trials of opioid management for chronic noncancer pain. Objective: The objective of this systematic review is to evaluate the clinical efficacy of opioids in the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain. Methods: A comprehensive evaluation of the literature relating to opioids in chronic non-cancer pain was performed. The literature was evaluated according to Cochrane review criteria for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and Jadad criteria. A literature search was conducted by using PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library, ECRI Institute Library, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website, U.S. National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC), Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE), clinical trials, systematic reviews and cross references from systematic reviews. The level of evidence was classified as good, fair, or poor based on the quality of evidence developed by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and used by other systematic reviews and guidelines. Outcome Measures: Pain relief was the primary outcome measure. Other outcome measures were functional improvement, withdrawals, and adverse effects. Results: Based on the USPSTF criteria, the indicated level of evidence was fair for Tramadol in managing osteoarthritis. For all the drugs assessed, including Tramadol, for all other conditions, the evidence was poor based on either weak positive evidence, indeterminate evidence, or negative evidence. Limitations: A paucity of literature, specifically with follow-up beyond 12 weeks for all types of opioids with controlled trials for various chronic non-cancer pain conditions. Conclusions: This systematic review illustrated fair evidence for Tramadol in managing osteoarthritis with poor evidence for all other drugs and conditions. Thus, recommendations must be based on non-randomized studies. Key words: Chronic non-cancer pain, opioids, opioid efficacy, opioid effectiveness, significant pain relief, functional improvement, adverse effects, morphine, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, fentanyl, tramadol, buprenorphine, methadone, tapentadol, oxycodone, oxymorphone, systematic reviews, randomized trials


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 1955-1967 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Douglas Thornton ◽  
Rashmi Goyat ◽  
Nilanjana Dwibedi ◽  
George A. Kelley

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 252-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruchir N. Karmali ◽  
Christopher Bush ◽  
Sudha R. Raman ◽  
Cynthia I. Campbell ◽  
Asheley C. Skinner ◽  
...  

Pain Medicine ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 3635-3644 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A Sturgeon ◽  
Mark D Sullivan ◽  
Simon Parker-Shames ◽  
David Tauben ◽  
Paul Coelho

Abstract Background There are significant medical risks of long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) for chronic pain. Consequently, there is a need to identify effective interventions for the reduction of high-dose full-agonist opioid medication use. Methods The current study details a retrospective review of 240 patients with chronic pain and LTOT presenting for treatment at a specialty opioid refill clinic. Patients first were initiated on an outpatient taper or, if taper was not tolerated, transitioned to buprenorphine. This study analyzes potential predictors of successful tapering, successful buprenorphine transition, or failure to complete either intervention and the effects of this clinical approach on pain intensity scores. Results One hundred seven patients (44.6%) successfully tapered their opioid medications under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guideline target dose (90 mg morphine-equianalgesic dosage), 45 patients (18.8%) were successfully transitioned to buprenorphine, and 88 patients (36.6%) dropped out of treatment: 11 patients during taper, eight during buprenorphine transition, and 69 before initiating either treatment. Conclusions. Higher initial doses of opioids predicted a higher likelihood of requiring buprenorphine transition, and a co-occurring benzodiazepine or z-drug prescription predicted a greater likelihood of dropout from both interventions. Patterns of change in pain intensity according to treatment were mixed: among successfully tapered patients, 52.8% reported greater pain and 23.6% reported reduced pain, whereas 41.8% reported increased pain intensity and 48.8% reported decreased pain after buprenorphine transition. Further research is needed on predictors of treatment retention and dropout, as well as factors that may mitigate elevated pain scores after reduction of opioid dosing.


PM&R ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. S181
Author(s):  
Joseph Walker ◽  
Alec L. Meleger ◽  
Cameron K. Froude

2015 ◽  
Vol 163 (2) ◽  
pp. 147
Author(s):  
J. Walden Retan
Keyword(s):  

2005 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
pp. 257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven D. Passik, PhD ◽  
Kenneth L. Kirsh, PhD ◽  
Laurie Whitcomb, MA ◽  
Jeffrey R. Schein, PhD, MPH ◽  
Mitchell A. Kaplan, PhD ◽  
...  

The increasingly common practice of long-term opioid therapy for chronic noncancer pain must be guided by ongoing assessment of four types of outcomes: pain relief, function, side effects, and drug-related behaviors. Our objective was to gather initial pilot data on the clinical application of a specialized chart note, the Pain Assessment and Documentation Tool (PADT), which was developed and tested with 27 physicians. This pilot test provided the means to collect cross-sectional outcome data on a large sample of opioid-treated chronic pain patients. Each of the physician volunteers (located in a variety of settings across the United States) completed the PADT for a convenience sample of personally treated chronic pain patients who had received at least three months of opioid therapy. Completion of the PADT required a clinical interview, review of the medical chart, and direct clinical observation. Data from the PADTs were collated and analyzed. The results suggested that the majority of patients with chronic pain achieve relatively positive outcomes in the eyes of their prescribing physicians in all four relevant domains with opioid therapy. Analgesia was modest but meaningful, functionality was generally stabilized or improved, and side effects were tolerable. Potentially aberrant behaviors were common but viewed as an indicator of a problem (i.e., addiction or diversion) in only approximately 10 percent of cases. Using the PADT, physician ratings can be developed in four domains. In this sample, outcomes suggested that opioid therapy provided meaningful analgesia.


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