Review article outlines strategies to reduce opioid abuse risk

Announcement

March 31, 2016

Dozens of prescription medicine bottles in a jumble

More than 30 percent of Americans have some form of chronic pain. Yet, the over-reliance on the millions of opioid pain reliever prescriptions dispensed yearly have resulted in a national epidemic of overdose deaths and addiction. A review article published today in The New England Journal of Medicine by NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow and Dr. A. Thomas McLellan, co-founder and Chair of the Board of the Treatment Research Institute, summarizes recent research to address common misconceptions regarding the abuse-related risks of opioid analgesics and highlights strategies to minimize those risks.

The review focuses on the therapeutic and abuse-producing effects of opioids, why they can be diverted and abused, and the importance of understanding the differences between tolerance, dependence and addiction. The authors discuss common strategies that can help lessen the risks of opioid abuse, including effective dosing and regular monitoring and assessment. Additionally, the authors recommend increasing medical school training for pain management and addiction, particularly for primary care practitioners who prescribe more than 70 percent of opioid pain relievers.

Reference: "Opioid Abuse in Chronic Pain — Misconceptions and Mitigation Strategies" by Nora D. Volkow, M.D., Director,National Institute on Drug Abuse and A. Thomas McLellan, Ph.D., Co-founder, Treatment Research Institute, published online March 31, 2016 in The New England Journal of Medicine.

For more information, contact the NIDA press office atmedia@nida.nih.gov or 301-443-6245. Follow NIDA onTwitter and Facebook.

Opioid Abuse in Chronic Pain — Misconceptions and Mitigation Strategies

Contact:
NIDA Press Office
301-443-6245
media@nida.nih.gov

About the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA supports most of the world’s research on the health aspects of drug use and addiction. The Institute carries out a large variety of programs to inform policy, improve practice, and advance addiction science. Fact sheets on the health effects of drugs and information on NIDA research and other activities can be found at www.drugabuse.gov, which is now compatible with your smartphone, iPad or tablet. To order publications in English or Spanish, call NIDA’s DrugPubs research dissemination center at 1-877-NIDA-NIH or 240-645-0228 (TDD) or email requests to drugpubs@nida.nih.gov. Online ordering is available at drugpubs.drugabuse.gov. NIDA’s media guide can be found atwww.drugabuse.gov/publications/media-guide/dear-journalist, and its easy-to-read website can be found atwww.easyread.drugabuse.gov. You can follow NIDA on Twitterand Facebook.

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This page was last updated March 2016