Rate of opioid misuse is around 25 percent, addiction rate 10 percent, reports study

New estimates suggest that 20 to 30 percent of opioid analgesic drugs prescribed for chronic pain are misused, while the rate of opioid addiction is approximately 10 percent. "On average, misuse was documented in approximately one out of four or five patients and addiction in approximately one out of ten or eleven patients," who were prescribed opioids as part of their treatment for chronic pain, write researchers. They note extremely wide variation in reported rates of misuse, abuse, and addiction and raise questions about the benefits of widespread opioid use for chronic pain, given the harmful consequences.



from Today's Healthcare News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1BK5gYY