Opioid therapy for chronic pain in the United States: promises and perils.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Sullivan MD
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4204477 | biostudies-other | 2013 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
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Opioid therapy for chronic pain in the United States: promises and perils.
Sullivan Mark D MD Howe Catherine Q CQ
Pain 20130911
Opioid therapy offers the promise of reducing the burden of chronic pain in not just individual patients, but among the broad population of patients with chronic pain. Randomized trials have demonstrated that opioid therapy for up to 12-16weeks is superior to placebo, but have not addressed longer-term use. In the United States, opioid sales have quadrupled during 2000-2010, with parallel increases in opioid accidental overdose deaths and substance abuse admissions. Clinical use of long-term opi ...[more]
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