Pain Management

It is estimated that 50 million to 75 million people suffer from malignant or nonmalignant chronic pain, yet only about 25% of them receive adequate treatment. Although a variety of pharmacological and nonphar-macological interventions exist, the use of opioids—that is, drugs containing naturally occurring or synthetic analgesics including morphine, methadone, oxycodone (OxyCotin, Percocet, Roxicet), and hydrocodone (Lortab, Vicodin)—for chronic pain management is a topic that continues to divide perspectives in the medical and addiction communities. Both the medical and addiction fields have valid claims in the use of opioids for chronic pain, and current research and theory provide a way to integrate the concerns and goals of both. This section will examine factors related to the initial reluctance of physicians to prescribe opioids. The current ...