This rise in prescribing of prescription opioids in the last 2 decades of the 20th century occurred at a time during which medical professionals were urged to resort to prescription opioids to manage untreated and chronic noncancer pain.
Policies requiring prior authorization for high-dose opioid prescriptions were found to be effective in reducing the average daily opioid dose consumed.
A revised version of the Opioid Risk Tool was found to identify the risk for developing opioid use disorder in patients on long-term opioid therapy for chronic nonmalignant pain with high specificity and sensitivity.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation to nalmefene HCl injection (Purdue Pharma) for the emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdoses.
Patient misuse of prescribed opioids was found to be associated with opioid use disorder, misuse of other drugs, history of illegal activity, and psychological distress.
The demand for naloxone is relatively inelastic with respect to changes in its out-of-pocket price, and conversion to an over-the-counter medication is expected to increase naloxone pharmacy sales.
Patients with low back pain or osteoarthritis who reported adverse drug reactions to NSAIDs have significantly higher odds of receiving prescriptions for opioids and developing opioid use disorder.
Supervised injection facilities may help reduce overdose fatalities, particularly if they provide overdose prevention, counseling, and treatment referral services.
