# Presentation: 108600

## Prescribing Pain Medications for Recovering Addicts

***Richard L. Brown, MD, MPH******Associate Professor******Department of Family Medicine******University of Wisconsin Medical School***

## Learning Objectives

**Indications for opioids**
**Selecting and titrating opioids**
**Monitoring patients on opioids**
**Protecting against regulatory scrutiny**

## Jean - Initial Presentation

**33-year-old divorced truck company dispatcher**
**Back pain since MVA 4 years ago**
**Bilateral L/S spine and paralumbar areas, non-rad.**
**Negative X-rays and MRI scan**
**Initial treatment**
**PT - ultrasound, heat/cold, exercises**
**Chiropractic - helped initially, then ineffective**
**Ibuprofen 600mg tid (3 other NSAIDs were no better)**
**8 oxycodone 5mg/acet 325mg per day - hard to taper**
**Returned to work 3 months after MVA**

## Jean - Last 3 years

**Baseline pain - 2 to 3 on 0-to-10 scale**
**Continues on ibuprofen 600 mg qd to tid**
**Two exacerbations; no apparent cause**
**Tender lumbosacral spine**
**Paralumbar tenderness and palpable spasm**
**No radiation, normal neurologic exam**
**Treated with PT, oxycodone/acetaminophen 5mg/325mg qid, again hard to taper**
**Returned to work in 4 weeks**

## Jean - Today

**Exacerbation x 10 weeks, same hx/PE**
**Tried PT 3 times - too painful**
**Had been taking 8 oxycodone/acet. per day**
**Opioids discontinued 2 weeks ago - diarrhea, agitation, sleeplessness **
**Pain had been 5 to 8, now 7 to 9**
**“****I’d really want to go back to work, but if I can’t get some relief I’m going to have to go on disability.”**

## Jean - Substance Use and Psychiatric History

**Drank heavily until MVA/DWI 4 years ago**
**Completed mandated intensive outpatient tx.**
**Usually 4 twelve-ounce beers on Fri & Sat +****2 beers twice a week; now ****≥****3/day due to pain**
**Used marijuana regularly until age 25; now once or twice a month**
**Tried cocaine once - “That was way too good; I definitely could have gotten hooked on that.”**
**Depressive symptoms but no MDE**

## Question 1 - Opioid Diagnosis

**Jean’s recent opioid withdrawal and the difficulty discontinuing opioids suggest a diagnosis of:**
**1.****	****Opioid abuse****2.****	****Opioid dependence****3.****	****Neither**

## Jean and Substance Use

_**Opioids**_
**Recent physical dependence**
**No neg. consequences or loss of control**
**Difficulty in tapering due to pain**

_**Alcohol**_
**Alcohol use disorder - remitted vs. current? **

## Question 2Indications for Opioids

**Opioids should be considered for patients with chronic pain who have:**
**1.****	****Moderate to severe pain**
**2.****	****1 + inadequate response to other treatments **
**3.****	****1 + 2 + significant functional disability**
**4.****	****1 + 2 + 3 + no active substance abuse/dep**
**5.****	****1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + no prior substance abuse/dep**

## Indications for Opioids

**Chronic pain of moderate to severe intensity**** **
**Significant functional disability**** **
**Inadequate response to other treatments**

## Assessing Function

**Validated functional assessment tools**
**Chronic Pain Grade****(VonKorff M et al. *****Pain***** 50:133-49,1992.)**
**Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale****(Kopec JA et al. *****J Clin Epidemiology***** 49:151-61,1996.)**

**Questions**
** ****Bed days, missed work, curtailed activities**
** ****Activities patient can do / misses**
**Appearance: dress, grooming, affect**

## Attempting Other Treatments

**Attempting Other Treatments**

**TENS/PENS**
**Invasive interventions**
**CAM may be useful: massage, chiropractic, acupuncture, others**
**NSAID’s do not relieve severe pain**
**COX-2 inhibitors are no more effective than other NSAIDs**
**The treatment with most evidence of effectiveness for CLBP is exercise**
**Adjunctive meds may be helpful**
**Treat for psychiatric disorders, stress**
**Distraction, relaxation, coping skills**

## Question 3 - Which opioids?

**The safest and most effective opioids for treating chronic pain include:**
**	****Propoxyphene and pentazocine**
**	****Hydrocodone and oxycodone**
**	****Morphine sulfate-extended release****	****tablets and transdermal fentanyl**
**4.****	****All of the above**

## Advantages of Long-Acting Opioids

**Ineffective**

**Adverse Effects**

## Advantages of Long-Acting Opioids

## Advantages of Long-Acting Opioids

**More consistent analgesia**
**Fewer adverse effects**
**More tolerance to adverse effects**
**Better sleep ******** better daytime function**
**Less euphoria, addiction, diversion**

## Opioid Regimen for Chronic Pain

**Long-acting opioid for baseline pain:**
**MS-ERT****	****–****	****Oxycodone-ERT**
**Methadone****	****–****	****Transdermal fentanyl**** **
**Short-acting opioid for breakthrough pain:**
**Hydrocodone****	****–****	****Oxycodone**** **

**Avoid:**
**Partial agonists: Pentazocine & Propoxyphene**
**Meperidine (Demerol****®****)**

## Question 4 - Maximum dose

**What is the maximum recommended daily dose of opioid for chronic non-cancer pain?**
**	****200****	****mg oral morphine or equivalent**
**2.****	****600****	****mg oral morphine or equivalent**
**	****1200****	****mg oral morphine or equivalent**
**	****2400****	****mg oral morphine or equivalent**
**5.****	**** As much as is necessary to control pain**

## Titrating Opioid Dose

- Start at 50% to 100% of the recommended dose for acute or cancer pain
- At low doses, reassess weekly until titrated
- At higher doses (morphine equivalent ≥ 300mg), increase by ≤20% per month
- Start lower and increase more slowly with:
- Impaired renal or hepatic function
- Methadone

- – Elderly patients

## Pain and Substance Use Disorders

**Pain**

**SUD’s**

## Question 5 - Preventing Addiction

**When treating chronic pain with opioids, the LEAST helpful strategy for preventing opioid addiction is:**
**1.****	****Prescribing only long-acting opioids**
**2.****	****Prescribing opioids with more secure****	****delivery systems**
**3.****	****Limiting the dose of opioids**
**4.****	****Ensuring that opioids improve function**
**5.****	****Using and enforcing written medication****	****agreements or contracts**

## Medication Agreements

**One prescriber and one pharmacy**
**Prescriptions must last as intended**
**No after-hours refill requests**
**Lost prescription policy**
**Random urine drug screens**
**Possible responses to violations**
**Safe activities when drowsy**
**Additional required care**

## Jean - Today

**Agreed to:**
**Get an addiction assessment**
**Take only long-acting opioids**
**Start PT when pain is controlled**
**Attempt to return to work**
**Rx: transfermal fentanyl 25 ********g/hr,****Apply 1 every 3 days, #2 patches**** **

## Monitoring Opioid Recipients

- nalgesia

- dherence

- ctivity

- dverse Effects

## Monitoring Opioid Recipients

- dherence

- nalgesia

- dverse Effects

- A

- A

- A

- A

- ctivity

## Question 6 - Six days later

**Six days later, Jean’s pain has decreased to 5 to 7 out of 10.  There have been no adverse effects.  Her function is unchanged.  An addiction professional diagnosed active alcohol dependence.  Jean agrees to attend alcohol treatment.  She used the medicine as directed.  At this time, you would:**
**1.****	****Discontinue fentanyl**
**2.****	****Continue fentanyl 25********g/hr**
**3.****	****Increase fentanyl to 50********g/hr**
**4.****	****Change to another long-acting opioid**
**5.****	****Change to oxycodone/acetaminophen**

## Inadequate

**Inadequate**

**Tolerable**

**Better or no worse**

**Good**

## Jean - 6 days later

**Pain ratings are 3 to 5**

**Mild sedation,****resolving**

**Doing more housework**

**Good**

**Ready to retry physical therapy**

## Jean - Two Months Later

**Not drinking; wishes to stop fentanyl**

**Pain ratings are 0 to 3**

**None**

**Back to work x 1 mo,****doing well in PT**

**Good**

## Jean - Tapering Plan

**Transdermal fentanyl 25 ********g/hr, #2, then discontinue**
**Clonidine .1 mg, 1 to 2 tabs qid prn**
_**Additional options**_**:****OTC anti-diarrheal****OTC NSAID for muscle/joint pain****Soporific**

## Question 7Long-Term Treatment

**If Jean had continued to require a long-acting opioid for adequate pain relief and return to work, you would have:**
**1.****	****Insisted on a taper in 3 months**
**2.****	****Insisted on a taper in 6 to 12 months**
**3.****	****Referred Jean to a pain specialist**
**4.****	****Continued the opioid indefinitely**

## Long-Term Opioids

**Chronic pain is a chronic disease requiring ongoing treatment**
**No tissue toxicity or documented harm with long-term opioids**
**Rates of addiction are unknown**
**Continue monitoring the 4 A’s at monthly to quarterly visits**

## Adverse Effects

**Constipation**
**Sedation**
**Insomnia**
**Cognitive blunting**
**Sweating**
**Weight gain**
**Decreased libido**

## With Opioids, Consider:

**Treatment for etiologic conditions**
**Non-opioid analgesics**
**TCA’s, anti-convulsants**
**Exercise and other physical therapies**
**Relaxation and distraction exercises**
**Complementary/alternative modalities **
**Treatment for psychiatric/addictive co-morbidities**

## Reasons for Discipline

**Inadequate documentation**

***Psychiatric/tx***
***Substance use/tx***
***Physical exam***
***Past records***

_***Initial assessment***_***:***
***Pain history***
***Function***
***Diagnostics***
***Therapeutics***

_***Follow-Up***_***:  The four A’s***

## Reasons for Discipline

**Inadequate documentation**
**2.****	****Continuing opioids despite likely abuse, addiction, or diversion**

***For functional declines or early refills***
***Assess for and address cause(s)***
***If persist, discontinue opioids***

***Pain history***
***Function***
***Diagnostics***
***Therapeutics***

***Psychiatric/tx***
***Substance use/tx***
***Physical exam***
***Past records***

-  _***Initial assessment***_***:***

***Follow-up: The four A’s***

## Slide 37

## Summary

**Perform complete assessments**
**Refer for alcohol/drug assessments as needed**
**Use opioids when indications are met**
**Emphasize long-acting opioids**
**Advance the dose as necessary**
**Continue opioids as long as necessary**
**Monitor for the four A’s**
**Document**

## Slide 39