Opioid Study Shows No Improvement over Nsaids or Acetaminophen
A recent opioid study – great article in the Los Angeles Times – indicated that after a yearlong study opioids showed no great improvement in lessening pain than over-the-counter painkillers.
Another recent study indicated the same result. I am unable to find that article presently. Who would have thought that hydrocodone was not more effective than ibuprofen?
What made this study different was that it was a clinical trial, not just some researchers going through anecdotal data. The original article from the Journal Of American Medicine can be found here. I highly recommend reviewing the study abstract – just amazing.
The clinical trial opioid study involved 240 patients. This number may seem small. Then again, the study consisted of a pure clinical trial which hold much more weight with a limited number of patients.
The findings were:
In this randomized clinical trial that included 240 patients, the use of opioid vs nonopioid medication therapy did not result in significantly better pain-related function over 12 months (3.4 vs 3.3 points on an 11-point scale at 12 months, respectively).
This study does not support initiation of opioid therapy for moderate to severe chronic back pain or hip or knee osteoarthritis pain.
In my personal experience, I had assisted two friends home from outpatient surgeries. Each of them had a RX for hydrocodone. It did not lessen their discomfort.
However, much to my amazement – rapid release acetaminophen had a greater pain-reducing effect. The rapid release stopped their pain in its tracks after trying a few doses of hydrocodone.
I published this article on opioids in July 2017. It is one of the most popular reads when I post it to LinkedIn. The data in that study showed that a very large percentage of opioid users were actually mentally ill.
I am sure more studies are planned in this controversial topic.
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2 Responses
People have died of liver failure to due Tylenol and GI Bleeds because of NSAIDS.. Opiates relieve pain not cure
it and neither does tylenol or Nsaids cure the pain issues. For temporary pain, Tylenol and NSAIDS but for permanent long term pain, it is Opiates that go directly to the brain nerve center. Nsaids also cause lethargy.
Nothing should be put into one wide net, especially for those who suffer ongoing and permanent pain.
Dina, I was mainly just quoting the study from the Journal of the American Medical Association. If one takes huge doses of Tylenol or NSAIDS, there can be bodily harm. A new study just came out from WCRI (Workers Compensation Research Institute that links longer periods of work disability with opioids. I am going to write an article on their study next week. Thanks for your comments. They are very appreciated.