Opioids in chronic non-malignant pain

doi:10.1136/bmj.322.7295.1134

BMJ 2001;322:1134-1135 ( 12 May )

Editorials

Opioids in chronic non-malignant pain

There's too little information on which drugs are effective and when

Primary care p 1154

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The use of opioids in chronic non-malignant pain is profoundly messy. A simple start is to say that if somebody has severepain which responds to opioids and for which there is no othereffective remedy then why should they not receive opioids? Twojudgments are then implicit: that opioids are effective and thatother remedies are not. How well do these judgments hold up? Andif they do, how do we work out which opioid and formulation? Apaper in this week's issue addresses, but doesn't answer, thesecond question (p 1154).¹

Opioids are often withheld to protect society or to protect the patient. The society argument is that the medical availabilityof opioid increases street addiction. There has never been anystrong evidence that medical use increases street problems, andthe introduction of oral morphine in Sweden in the early 1980swas shown not to increase addiction.²

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This article has been cited by other articles:

Milledge, J. S, Lawhern, R. A, Byrne, A. (2001). Opioids in chronic non-malignant pain. BMJ 323: 571-571 [Full text]

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