Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over pilot study to assess the effects of long-term opioid drug consumption and subsequent abstinence in chronic noncancer pain patients receiving controlled-release morphine.
The long-term use of strong opioid analgesics among chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) patients remains controversial because of concerns over problematic drug use. However, previous surveys suggest that this is not necessarily the case. Therefore, we designed a controlled study to generate evidence in support of these findings. ⋯ The results suggest the existence of a group of CNCP patients whose long-term opioid consumption can be beneficial and remain moderate without them suffering from the consequences of problematic opioid drug use.