Prescription opioid medication addiction may be common among patients with chronic pain, according to a new study published in the July Journal of Addictive Diseases. Thirty-five percent of those receiving long-term treatment with opioids now meet the criteria for addiction.
The good news for chronic pain patients, however, is that there are other types of medications that can counter chronic pain besides opioids. And a number of these are medications that psychiatrists often prescribe. Also, there are certain other techniques and interventions, such as psychotherapy, that can provide substantial relief to chronic pain patients. For more information on these subjects, see Psychiatric News at http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/46/11/18.1.full; http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/46/11/18.2.full; and http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/46/11/19.full.
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