Long-Term Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain
Authors: J. Walden Retan
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2015)

Letters21 July 2015Long-Term Opioid Therapy for Chronic PainJ. Walden Retan, MDJ. Walden Retan, MDFrom The Pain Clinic, Cooper Green/Mercy Health Services, Birmingham, Alabama.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L15-5109-2 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:I read Chou and colleagues' review (1) with interest. Prescriptions of narcotic medications for chronic pain have increased dramatically over the past 3 decades. This trend has been accompanied by greatly increased levels of prescription narcotic overdose, abuse, addiction, and diversion. It is commonly blamed on irresponsible prescribing. An unintended consequence of this blame is that many younger physicians refuse to prescribe narcotics for persons with chronic pain. Not for anyone, not for any pain. The result is that pain is the only treatable condition that I can think of that many physicians deliberately do not treat.... Reference1. Chou R, Turner JA, Devine EB, Hansen RN, Sullivan SD, Blazina I, et al. The effectiveness and risks of long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain: a systematic review for a National Institutes of Health Pathways to Prevention Workshop. Ann Intern Med. 2015;162:276-86. [PMID: 25581257] doi:10.7326/M14-2559 LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From The Pain Clinic, Cooper Green/Mercy Health Services, Birmingham, Alabama.Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOf InterestForms.do?msNum=L15-0197. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe Effectiveness and Risks of Long-Term Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review for a National Institutes of Health Pathways to Prevention Workshop Roger Chou , Judith A. Turner , Emily B. Devine , Ryan N. Hansen , Sean D. Sullivan , Ian Blazina , Tracy Dana , Christina Bougatsos , and Richard A. Deyo The Effectiveness and Risks of Long-Term Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review for a National Institutes of Health Pathways to Prevention Workshop Roger Chou , Judith A. Turner , Emily B. Devine , Ryan N. Hansen , Sean D. Sullivan , Ian Blazina , Tracy Dana , Christina Bougatsos , and Richard A. Deyo Long-Term Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain Michael Lubrano , Jonathan P. Wanderer , and Jesse M. Ehrenfeld Long-Term Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain Roger Chou Long-Term Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain Roger Chou Long-Term Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain Michael Lubrano , Jonathan P. Wanderer , and Jesse M. Ehrenfeld Metrics 21 July 2015Volume 163, Issue 2Page: 147-148KeywordsAlcoholsDrugsErectile dysfunctionHeroinHuman sexual behaviorMyocardial infarctionOpioidsQuality of lifeSexual dysfunctionSuicide ePublished: 21 July 2015 Issue Published: 21 July 2015 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2015 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...