Reduced Opioid Analgesic Requirements Via Improved Endogenous Opioid Function

Summary

Chronic Pain (CP) management has increasingly utilized long-term opioid analgesic therapy, a change associated with increased opioid abuse (via greater exposure in vulnerable individuals), non-pain health consequences (hormone changes, falls), and a dramatic rise in opioid-related overdoses and deaths. Treatment strategies that minimize the need for chronic high-dose opioids are sorely needed. This project will test the novel hypothesis that effective pain relief can be achieved at lower opioid analgesic doses by increasing levels of endogenous opioids (EOs).

Timeline

Start

2015-08

Primary completion

2019-09

Completion

2019-09

Publications

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• Bruehl S, Stone AL, Palmer C, Edwards DA, Buvanendran A, Gupta R, Chont M, Kennedy M, Burns JW. Self-reported cumulative medical opioid exposure and subjective responses on first use of opioids predict analgesic and subjective responses to placebo-controlled opioid administration. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2019 Jan;44(1):92-99. doi: 10.1136/rapm-2018-000008.

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