01 Oct Study Shows Cancer Patients Taking Fewer Opioid Medications
A recently released study designed to measure the frequency of opioid prescriptions amongst cancer patients and others affected by chronic pain shows very promising results. It could appear as if patients are taking fewer opioid medications for pain.
Opioid medications do have a legitimate place in Western medicine. Sometimes they’re the one thing that provides patients a modicum of pain relief. But opioids usually are not the one selection – especially for cancer pain. Here at Lone Star Pain Medicine, we provide quite a lot of alternatives including epidurals, nerve blocks, radiofrequency neurotomy, and kyphoplasty.
More In regards to the Study
The previously mentioned study, published within the PLOS One journal, analyzed patient data from each cancer patients and patients affected by non-cancer chronic pain for no less than one 12 months between 2012 and 2019. Researchers checked out opioid frequency in addition to other therapies.
The variety of cancer patients taking opioid medications decreased over the study period from 86% to 78.7%. Among the many patients with non-cancer pain, the opioid rate fell from 49.7% to 30.5%. That’s good, but there may be more.
The variety of cancer patients taking non-opioid pain medications increased from 74.4% to 78.8%. The non-opioid rate amongst non-cancer pain patients didn’t show statistical change across the study period.
We are able to clearly see from study results that the prevalence of opioid pain medications amongst each groups of patients decreased significantly over the eight years of study data. That’s remarkable. Additionally it is likely the results of a lot attention being given to the over-prescribing of opioid medications.
Treating Cancer Pain Is Unique
As pain doctors, we’re especially intrigued by the information referring to cancer patients. Cancer pain is somewhat unique in that its cause shouldn’t be strictly limited to the disease itself. Cancer treatments also cause pain. In some cases, treatment-related pain is more severe than the pain of the disease.
Treatment-related pain poses an additional challenge in that it might probably encourage cancer patients to skip treatments. Missing treatments is clearly something doctors need to avoid as much as possible. So it’s imperative that pain be managed as effectively as it might probably be.
There are occasions when opioid pain medications are the very best approach to do this. But opioids usually are not the be-all and end-all. They don’t all the time work as effectively as they need to, patients may complain of feeling worse when taking them, and there may be all the time the chance of addiction.
Alternative Treatments Are Available
Because the study itself showed, there are alternative treatments. Non-opioid pain medications are one option. There are various others, including the choices we provide at Lone Star. The important thing to figuring it out is sitting down with a pain specialist who might help the patient understand their pain and what’s causing it.
Are you a cancer patient fighting chronic pain? In that case, the pain specialists here in our Weatherford, TX clinic might have the ability to assist. We encourage you to pay a visit as soon as is practical.
We’ll sit down and talk with you on the extent. We’ll look to get to know you and your treatment goals. Most significantly, we are going to present you with all of your options and allow you to determine the very best and most practical approach to relieve the pain you’re experiencing.
Within the meantime, we expect it is nice news that cancer patients are taking fewer opioid medications. Ditto for non-cancer chronic pain patients. The more we are able to veer away from unnecessary opioid prescriptions, the faster we are going to put an end to the continued opioid crisis still plaguing our country.
