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Tapering opioids

Studies on tapering opioids and the outcomes.

opioid pain medication

Study – Association Between Opioid Tapering and Subsequent Health Care Use, Medication Adherence, and Chronic Condition Control

Published February 7, 2023 Link to study Yet another study from the University of California at Davis, examining tapering among adults prescribed stable doses of long-term opioid therapy (LTOT).  These patients were receiving long term opioid therapy at a dose of 50 milligram of morphine… Read More »Study – Association Between Opioid Tapering and Subsequent Health Care Use, Medication Adherence, and Chronic Condition Control

opioid pain medication

Study – Long-term Risk of Overdose or Mental Health Crisis After Opioid Dose Tapering

Published June 13, 2022 Link to study This study is a continuation to the August 2021 study Association of Dose Tapering With Overdose or Mental Health Crisis Among Patients Prescribed Long-term Opioids that found opioid dose tapering was associated with overdose and mental health crisis.… Read More »Study – Long-term Risk of Overdose or Mental Health Crisis After Opioid Dose Tapering

opioid pain medication

Study – Association of Dose Tapering With Overdose or Mental Health Crisis Among Patients Prescribed Long-term Opioids

Published August 3, 2021 link to study Patients receiving long term opioid therapy who experienced dose tapering off their opioid pain relieving medications experience higher rates of overdose and withdrawal, and mental health crisis, and that risk persists for up to two years, according to… Read More »Study – Association of Dose Tapering With Overdose or Mental Health Crisis Among Patients Prescribed Long-term Opioids

opioid pain medication

Study: International Stakeholder Community of Pain Experts and Leaders Call for an Urgent Action on Forced Opioid Tapering

Published in Pain Medicine, Volume 20, Issue 3, March 2019 First published in 2018 Forced opioid tapering in the US was rampant and many high-profile pain management experts were concerned about the serious (and unjustified) harms, including overdose and suicide, that opioid tapering was causing.… Read More »Study: International Stakeholder Community of Pain Experts and Leaders Call for an Urgent Action on Forced Opioid Tapering

opioid pain medication

Study – “I felt like I had a scarlet letter”: Recurring experiences of structural stigma surrounding opioid tapering among patients with chronic, non-cancer pain

Published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, volume 222, May 2021 This study does not relate directly to the harms of overdose and suicide, but the significant stigma that changes to opioid policy has wrought upon chronic pain patients on long term opioid therapy. Background: “Efforts… Read More »Study – “I felt like I had a scarlet letter”: Recurring experiences of structural stigma surrounding opioid tapering among patients with chronic, non-cancer pain

opioid pain medication

Study – Does Opioid Tapering in Chronic Pain Patients Result in Improved Pain or Same Pain vs Increased Pain at Taper Completion? A Structured Evidence-Based Systematic Review

Published in Pain Medicine, volume 20, Issue 11, November 2019 First published in 2018 Link to study THIS is the study that is often referred to as ‘evidence’ that tapering opioids does NOT result in increased pain. According to google scholar, it has been cited… Read More »Study – Does Opioid Tapering in Chronic Pain Patients Result in Improved Pain or Same Pain vs Increased Pain at Taper Completion? A Structured Evidence-Based Systematic Review

opioid pain medication

Study: Opioid tapering in chronic pain patients is associated with increased overdose and mental health crisis extending for up to two years

Researchers have found that tapering chronic pain patients off their opioid pain medications may be far more dangerous than continuing opioid therapy.   This runs counter to the current regulatory environment in Australia that assumes that all chronic pain patients benefit from reducing or stopping their… Read More »Study: Opioid tapering in chronic pain patients is associated with increased overdose and mental health crisis extending for up to two years