Annals of emergency medicine
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Acute pain complaints are commonly treated in the emergency department (ED). Short courses of opioids are presumed to be safe for acute pain; however, the risk of recurrent opioid use after receipt of an ED opioid prescription is unknown. We describe the risk of recurrent opioid use in patients receiving an opioid prescription from the ED for an acute painful condition. ⋯ Opioid-naive ED patients prescribed opioids for acute pain are at increased risk for additional opioid use at 1 year.