One in three given strong painkillers show signs of addiction, major review finds READ MORE: Stopping the painkillers I took for 25 years has changed my life By Kate Pickles, Health Editor For The Daily Mail Published: 00:00, 8 August 2024 | Updated: 00:00, 8 August 2024 e-mail View comments One in three people who take prescription painkillers show signs of addiction, a major analysis found. The study – involving more than 4.3 million adults with chronic pain – found nearly one in ten prescribed opioids became dependent.
Experts said it suggests the scale of the problem is far greater than feared and called for tighter prescription guidelines. Opioids, such as codeine, morphine, oxycodone and tramadol, can provide highly effective pain relief when used in the short-term. However, when used over longer periods they can lead to dependence, cause physical and mental health issues, or even death from accidental overdoses or heart conditions resulting from side effects.
A third of paients studied showed signs of dependence on opioids, while 12 per cent were found to be at risk of opioid use disorder. Bristol University researchers analysed 148 studies enrolling over 4.3 million adult chronic pain patients treated with prescription opioid painkillers.
The divided them into four categories, depending on how the studies defined problematic opioid use. It found almost one in ten patients had a formal diagnosis of dependence and opioid use disorder, Almost one in three (30 per cen.