Mending Post-Surgery Opioid Prescription Ways as Drugs Turn Toxins for Americans

The opioid epidemic has quadrupled the drug overdose deaths in the United States between
1999 and 2012, also reflecting on the sale of prescription opioids. In fact, such is the imbalance
in prescription drug use globally that each year, nearly 25.5 million adults and 2.5 million
children die world over suffering from extreme physical and psychological pain, a new Lancet
report reveals. On the other hand, around 91 Americans perish from opioid overdose every
day. And much to peoples dismay, the number is bound to rise in the coming years.
With approximately 2.1 million Americans aged 12 and above diagnosed with an opioid use
disorder (OUD) in 2016 alone, the practice of self-medicating oneself with prescription
painkillers continues to fuel the opioid epidemic. Since alleviation of pain is an essential goal
of postoperative pain management, there has been a massive increase in the prescription of
opioids.
In response to this
national public health
crisis, the Centers for
Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) keeps
publishing guidelines on
the safe ways to
prescribe opioids from
time to time. They also
talk about the ways to
manage pain following a
surgery with the aim of
balance pain and the
risk of addiction.
However, its impact on
the rates of prescribing
and refilling pain medications are not well documented.
Moreover, there has been a dramatic shift in the entire treatment of pain, with the focus
being not just opioids but also other alternative approaches. A study was conducted to
determine the key opioid prescription patterns after a surgery to determine the
appropriateness of prescriptions and define key recommendations.
Common prescription patterns after surgeries
In the study published in the journal JAMA Surgery, researchers at the Center for Surgery and
Public Health at Brigham and Womens Hospital examined opioid prescription data from the

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Department of Defense Military Health System Data Repository. They identified 215,140
opioid-naive individuals aged 18 to 64 who had undergone one of the eight common surgical
procedures and given prescription opioids as part of treatment regimen. These eight common
surgeries included cholecystectomy, appendectomy, inguinal hernia repair, anterior cruciate
ligament (ACL) reconstruction, rotator cuff tear repair, discectomy, mastectomy and
hysterectomy.
Using the Military Health System Data Repository, the researchers gained access to
information pertaining to active, disabled and retired members of the U.S. armed forces and
their dependents. The researchers identified people who had undergone a surgery between
2006 and 2014 and had filled at least one opioid pain medication in the 14 days following the
procedure.
They excluded individuals with a prior diagnosis of chronic pain, substance dependence or an
opioid prescription within six months before the surgery. They found that general surgeries
were performed on 122,345 patients, musculoskeletal procedures on 47,998 patients, and
mastectomy or hysterectomy on 44,707 patients. The other key findings of the study are as
follows:

The optimal length of opioid prescription was four to nine days for general
procedures, four to 13 days for womens health procedures, and six to 15 days for
musculoskeletal procedures.
The median prescription length for the first-time prescriptions was four to seven days
and the number of individuals who required to refill their pain medications ranged
from 11.3 percent to 39.3 percent, depending on the type of surgery performed.
According to the researchers, the prescription length time can increase from seven to 10 days
based on the surgery, particularly orthopedic and neurosurgical procedures. Since over 40
percent patients may require a refill at seven-day limit, such an extension becomes essential.
The study findings provide a quantitative analysis of the current patterns of prescribing
opioids along with a safe and effective means of prescribing opioids to patients undergoing
surgical procedures. This not only protects patients from the risk of addiction, but also
complements efforts to address the opioid crisis.
Stop popping pills
While everybody has certain biological elements that increase the risk of developing an opioid
addiction or any form of addiction for that matter, being put on prescription opioids following
a surgery further compound the situation. Therefore, it is crucial to tamp down the associated
risks by following an effective pain management program, depending on the type of surgery
performed. This will prevent opioids from wreaking havoc on patients.

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If you or your loved one is battling an addiction to opioids, it is important to seek help. The
Prescription Drug Addiction Help assists in accessing the best prescription drug abuse
treatment centers that specialize in delivering evidence-based intervention plans. Call at our
24/7 prescription drug addiction helpline number 866-623-3847 for more information on
various treatment options.

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