Dallas, TX
As the opioid epidemic continues to grow at an alarming rate in America, we are beginning to better understand the role that opioid prescriptions play in contributing to this problem. A recent article from the British Medical Journal titled “Postsurgical prescriptions for opioid naïve patients and association with overdose and misuse: retrospective cohort study” highlights an important issue facing doctors and patients today. This study shows a clear correlation between the length of time a person was prescribed opioids and the likelihood of misuse.
The research outcomes demonstrate that each additional week of prescribed opioid use post-discharge was associated with a 34.2% increase in the rate of misuse. This did not seem to follow the same risk related to the dose. The actual dose prescribed only became important with extended use. My conclusions from this point toward my continued opinion that surgeons and dentists should be very conservative in their postoperative prescribing as there is clear evidence pointing to significant risk of opioid misuse and addiction with prolonged prescriptions.
This study adds to the growing research that for most general procedures surgeons should try to limit prescriptions to one week or less after the procedure or discharge and then provide no more than 1 additional week of postoperative opioid medications without extenuating circumstances. This should help limit new cases of opioid addiction developing and strengthen the push to more non-narcotic methods of pain relief.
Media Contact:
Nancy Buttyan
Nancy.Buttyan@bhgrecovery.com
214-918-1811
About BHG
Behavioral Health Group (BHG) is a fast-growing healthcare company creating a new class of recovery center for individuals with substance use disorder (SUD). BHG specializes in medication-assisted recovery (MAR) combined with addiction counseling delivered through the largest network of Joint Commission-accredited outpatient treatment and recovery centers in the U.S. Founded in 2006 and led by an experienced executive team with deep experience in the healthcare and behavioral health industries, BHG believes that comprehensive, evidence-based, personalized treatment plans focused on real recovery restore lives, strengthen families, and rejuvenate the communities in which we serve. BHG capabilities include a full range of counseling and behavioral health therapies for individual, family, and group counseling, medication-assisted recovery, intensive outpatient programs, mental health services, case management, and community resource coordination services delivered in its treatment centers and through telehealth. BHG treatment centers provide access to all FDA-approved medications through in-center dosing or prescriptions programs. BHG accepts Medicare, Medicaid, most major commercial health plans, and works with state grants to support patients who choose to self-pay. With 117 locations in 24 states, BHG has more than 2,100 employees who serve more than 43,000 patients. To learn more, visit bhgrecovery.com.