Too many pain pills after surgery: When good intentions go awry

As a physician with an interest in reducing opioid-related problems, I frequently hear stories from colleagues and friends about their loved ones who either struggle with opioid addiction or have even died from opioid-related overdose. My follow-up question to them is usually: “How did it begin?” Almost every time the answer is the same: the individual experienced acute pain either from a trauma or  surgery, was started on opioids by a doctor, and then couldn’t quit. My son’s baseball coach, who is not in the medical field, described it perfectly. He went in for a minor back surgery and was discharged with 60 tablets of oxycodone (the opioid medicine in Percocet and Oxycontin). For the first couple days, he had significant pain and used the pain pills. After the pain began to subside and acetaminophen and ibuprofen were sufficient, he stopped using the oxycodone. But after discontinuing the medication, he began feeling terrible, experiencing body aches, restlessness and insomnia. He took another oxycodone and felt better. Fortunately, he had the insight to recognize what was going on: he was withdrawing from the opioid, even after taking it for only a few days. Had he continued treating his withdrawal with oxycodone, he may have become hooked. “I dodged a bullet,” he told me. The problem of adverse effects and unused opioids This story, repeated time and again, is interesting in light of a recent study published in JAMA Surgery. The paper was a “meta-analysis...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Addiction Health Injuries Pain Management Surgery Source Type: blogs