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What Are We Treating with Chronic Opioid Therapy?

  • CHRONIC PAIN (LJ CROFFORD, SECTION EDITOR)
  • Published:
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Abstract

The recent increase in the number of patients taking opioids chronically for pain has not yielded the expected benefits in reduction of symptoms and improved function. Chronic pain patients typically respond well initially to opioid medications, but regular use is associated with adverse psychological and physical effects. Patients with significant psychiatric comorbidity and substance use issues are more likely to stay on opioids and to receive higher doses. In the common rheumatological conditions of fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis, opioid treatment is of limited benefit because of lack of efficacy and prominent side effects. Chronic opioid therapy may be more usefully regarded as a form of comfort care, reserved for those patients who have exhausted other treatments and prospects of recovery.

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Disclosure

Dr Sullivan has served as a consultant for Janssen Pharmaceutica and has received grant support from Pfizer, Covidien, and Endo. Drs Krashin and Ballantyne reported no potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Box 359724, 325 Ninth Ave, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA

    Daniel Krashin

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Washington, Box 356560, 1959 NE Pacific St, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA

    Mark Sullivan

  3. Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Box 356540, 1959 NE Pacific St, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA

    Jane Ballantyne

Authors
  1. Daniel Krashin
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  2. Mark Sullivan
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  3. Jane Ballantyne
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Correspondence to Daniel Krashin.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Chronic Pain

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Krashin, D., Sullivan, M. & Ballantyne, J. What Are We Treating with Chronic Opioid Therapy?. Curr Rheumatol Rep 15, 311 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11926-012-0311-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11926-012-0311-1

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