Reports Warn of Growing Senior Opioid Crisis
▻https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20180919/reports-warn-of-growing-senior-opioid-crisis
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Against the backdrop of an unrelenting opioid crisis, two new government reports warn that America’s seniors are succumbing to the pitfalls of prescription painkillers.
Issued by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the reports reveal that millions of older Americans are now filling prescriptions for many different opioid medications at the same time, while hundreds of thousands are winding up in the hospital with opioid-related complications.
“These reports underscore the growing and under-recognized concerns with opioid use disorder in older populations, including those who suffer from chronic pain and are at risk for adverse events from opioids,” said Dr. Arlene Bierman. She is the director of AHRQ’s Center for Evidence and Practice.
At the same time, AHRQ’s second report found that nearly 20 percent of seniors filled at least one opioid prescription between 2015 and 2016, equal to about 10 million seniors. And more than 7 percent — or about 4 million seniors — filled prescriptions for four or more opioids, which was characterized as “frequent” use.
The challenge, said Bierman, “is safe-prescribing for those who need opioids for pain, while avoiding overuse or misuse.”
Clinicians, she advised, could address that concern “by using non-opioid pain medications and non-pharmacologic treatments before considering the use of opioids.” And she suggested that if and when opioids are needed, “the lowest possible dose should be used.”