Opioid Alert!

ANYONE WHO TAKES 

PRESCRIPTION OPIOIDS CAN 

BECOME ADDICTED TO THEM. 

ONCE ADDICTED, IT CAN BE 

HARD TO STOP.

The Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) Federal 

Employee’s Program is instituting greater scrutiny on the 

prescription and utilization of opioid medication and pursuing an 

educational campaign to inform injured federal workers of the health 

and safety concerns relating to opioids.

Consider the Risk Prolonged use can lead to addiction. 

Opioid use often begins with treatment of acute pain. Alternatives 

should be considered, but if opioids are used, the Centers for 

Disease Control (CDC) recommends that the lowest effective dose 

of immediate-release opioids should be used for the shortest 

duration possible, usually 3 days, finding that more than 7 days will 

rarely be needed: 

https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/pdf/Guidelines_Factsheet-a.pdf

If you do take an opioid, know your Morphine Equivalent Dose 

(MED). You should discuss and carefully reassess benefits and 

risks with your physician especially when considering increasing 

dosage to greater than 50 MED per day. The higher the dose the 

greater the risk of misuse and overdose.

Consider the Alternatives Talk with your physician 

about ways to manage your pain that do not involve opioids. Some 

of these options may actually work better and have fewer risks and 

side effects. Depending on the type of pain you are experiencing, 

options may include acetaminophen, NSAIDs, antidepressants, 

anticonvulsants, exercise and physical therapy, and interventional 

therapy (injections).

Learn 

More 

OWCP encourages 

all injured workers 

to use publicly 

available resources 

to learn more about 

opioids and speak 

with their 

physicians about 

any concerns 

regarding their 

medical care. For 

educational 

information and 

resources 

pertaining to 

opioids, and to 

view our framework 

to reduce the 

potential for opioid 

misuse and 

addiction among 

injured federal 

workers, we 

encourage you to 

visit:

https://www.dol.gov

/owcp/dfec/opioidac

tionplan.htm

Consider the Outcome In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of 

prescription opioids for the treatment of chronic pain, despite serious risks and the lack of evidence about 

their long-term effectiveness. Moreover, even when taken as directed, you may build up a tolerance –

meaning you might need to take more of a medication for the same pain relief. 

Opioids may actually result in longer periods of disability. Using data from 28 states from 2008-2013, the 

Workers Compensation Research Institute reports that workers that received any opioid prescription had a 

42.9% longer duration of temporary disability than those without an opioid prescription. This is an average 

increase of approximately 4.8 weeks. This is even after controlling for worker and workplace characteristics, 

location characteristics, surgery, and severity of the injuries. In addition, the more opioid prescriptions 

received the greater chance for longer periods of disability and increased risk of addiction, misuse, and 

overdose.

https://www.wcrinet.org/news/longer-term-opioid-prescribing-increases-time-away-from-work-for-injured-wo

https://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.j5790