Smokers More Prone to Long-Term Prescription Painkiller Use

Source: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=112566

THURSDAY, Jan. 21 (HealthDay News) Smoking, as well as the medicinal use of opioid painkillers such as oxycodone, are independent predictors of longer-term opioid pain medication use among patients with chronic back pain caused by lumbar spine conditions, a new U.S. study finds.

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The study included over 2,100 patients recruited from 13 spine specialty centers in 11 states. Of those patients, 42 percent said they used opioids for their back pain and one-third said they take opioids every day.

The researchers analyzed the medical, social and demographic characteristics of the participants and concluded that smoking and nonsurgical treatment independently predicted long-term opioid use, but pain severity did not.

Smoking can be a marker for substance abuse disorders, the researchers noted.

They said that, for some patients, the risks associated with long-term use of opioids to manage back pain may outweigh the risks of surgery. The researchers suggested this may be a factor to consider when doctors make decisions about surgery for patients with herniated discs or stenosis, especially those with a history of substance abuse.

The study was published in the January issue of the Journal of Pain.

-- Robert Preidt



SOURCE: American Pain Society, news release, January 2009