Originally published January 22, 2010 at 11:31 AM | Page modified January 22, 2010 at 11:34 AM
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ShareHigher-dose pain prescriptions linked to higher overdose risk | Local Health Guide
Patients who were prescribed higher doses of opioid medications for the treatment of chronic pain were nine-times more likely to overdose on the drugs than were patients placed on the lowest doses of these commonly prescribed pain relievers, Group Health researchers have found.
Patients who were prescribed higher doses of opioid medications for the treatment of chronic pain were nine-times more likely to overdose on the drugs than were patients placed on the lowest doses of these commonly prescribed pain relievers, Group Health researchers have found.
The study, which appears in the current issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine was led by Dr. Michael Von Korff, a senior investigator at Group Health Research Institute.
Use of opioid-containing medications, sold under such brand names as Vicodin, Oxycontin and Duragesic, has gone up more markedly in recent years, and today, 3 percent of U.S. adults, roughly 8 million people, are taking opioid medications for the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain, such as low-back and neck pain, arthritis and menstrual pain.
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