A new study shows that opioids are ineffective for back and neck pain.
And the prescription painkillers that millions of Americans have taken over the past two decades have been no more effective at reducing neck and lower back pain than a placebo.
Australian researchers have noted that opioid painkillers may actually increase pain in the long term, with an increased addiction potential.
Professor Christine Lane of the University of Sydney, senior author of the study, said: “Although there is no evidence of their effectiveness in reducing pain, opioid pain medications are still widely prescribed for people with low back and neck pain in many countries. Our study suggests that this may worsen pain levels in patients in the medium to long term.”
And a new study published in The Lancet shows that while opioids are traditionally considered the gold standard for pain management, they may have little or no effect on patients’ lower back and neck pain compared to placebo. .
“We strongly believe that clinicians should not prescribe opioid pain medication for new episodes of low back and neck pain,” Lynn added.
Australian and Dutch researchers set out to determine whether patients with neck and lower back pain benefit from a doctor-controlled course of up to 20 mg of oxycodone daily for six weeks.
The research team included 347 people, with an average age of about 45, who suffered from neck pain, lower back pain or both at 157 locations in Australia.
People were recruited into the study if they sought medical attention from their GP or doctor at the hospital and experienced lower back or neck pain for no more than 12 weeks.
Every person in the study received non-medical advice, such as staying active, while 174 people received opioids and the remaining 171 people received a placebo.
After six weeks, doctors assessed each person’s pain levels to determine if the pills provided any measurable benefit. And the doctors found that she did not exist at all.
They rated the subjects’ pain using a scale from 0 to 10 called the “Concise Pain Severity Scale”, which was originally designed to measure the level of pain reported by cancer patients.
When assessing pain on a 10-point scale, opioid recipients reported a pain score of 2.8, while those in the placebo group reported a slightly lower score of 2.3.
And after one year, opioid recipients reported slightly higher pain scores compared to the placebo group, 2.4 versus 1.8. Evidence for the long-term effects of pain medications is limited, although people who take them consistently are more likely to abuse them in the future.
Doctors also found that people who received oxycodone initially were also more likely to abuse the pill after a year: 20% of those who received opioids reported misuse compared to 10% in the placebo group.
“Lower and neck pain can seriously affect patients’ quality of life, so we need to offer them the best options to help them manage their pain, but opioid pain medications don’t work and carry serious risks,” Lin said. should be encouraged to focus on patient-centered approaches, which may include advice on staying active and simple pain relievers.
Source: Daily Mail
