The Lifesciences Magazine

Experts Warn Us Against Using Opioids to Treat Back Pain One of the most often given medications for pain relief in patients with neck and low back pain is opioids. In Australia, opioids like oxycodone are prescribed to about 40% of patients with low back and neck pain who visit their general practitioner and 70% of patients with low back pain who attend a hospital emergency room. However, our latest research—which was published in the July issue of the Lancet medical journal—found that opioids both exacerbate and fail to alleviate “acute” low back or neck pain, which can last up to 12 weeks. In addition to usual side effects including nausea, constipation, and dizziness, prescribing opioids for low back and neck pain can have serious consequences like overuse, dependency, poisoning, and even death. According to our research, opioids shouldn’t be prescribed for sudden neck or low back discomfort. In Australia and around the world, a shift in the way low back and neck pain are prescribe...