Over half of the sample attained opioids through their own prescription, and 47.2% of patients with co-occurring sedative use disorder attained sedatives by prescription.
Approximately one-third of patients with migraine reported using opioids to treat their symptoms, a practice that contrasts with current guidelines.
Researchers sought to examine national- and county-level buprenorphine prescription patterns by patient demographics and clinician specialty, and county-level characteristics associated with buprenorphine dispensing.
Patients with early-stage breast cancer who undergo mastectomy with or without reconstruction are at risk of prolonged opioid use.
Filling an opioid prescription in the postpartum period is associated with an increased risk for serious opioid-related events.
Patients who use opioids preoperatively may achieve improvements in outcomes after arthroscopic shoulder surgery, but opioid use may negatively affect satisfaction levels.
Evidence suggests that the prevalence of chronic opioid use among patients with RA has increased over the last decade.
Patients on hemodialysis who use opioids concurrently with a short-acting benzodiazepine are especially at risk for early death, a study found.
An opinion piece highlights the growing concerns among medical professionals about the exacerbating effects the COVID-19 pandemic may have among people with opioid use disorder.
![Still routinely prescribed to manage chronic pain, opioids are oftentimes overused, misused, or abused by patients. These behaviors are associated with a number of adverse effects, the most serious of which, respiratory depression, can result in death. Affectively dysregulated patients may associate negative emotions with recurrent opioid use through operant learning. [9] It is therefore imperative to prevent, identify, and manage opioid misuse in those patients, and seek to adopt of multi-dimensional approach to the treatment of chronic pain. Numerous initiatives have been initiated, aiming to guide healthcare practitioners in face of the opioid epidemic.](https://1tvlpc3ybbcb2e1tavrfrmg1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2019/01/drugsspilledoutts509483224_1104058-544x306.jpg)
Opioid-related deaths in the cancer population are much rarer than in the general population.
