Prescription opioids for back pain and use of medications for erectile dysfunction.

Study Design: Cross-sectional analysis of electronic medical and pharmacy records.

Objective: To examine associations between use of medication for erectile dysfunction or testosterone replacement and use of opioid therapy, patient age, depression, and smoking status.

Summary Of Background Data: Males with chronic pain may experience erectile dysfunction related to depression, smoking, age, or opioid-related hypogonadism.

Opioids for back pain patients: primary care prescribing patterns and use of services.

Background: Opioid prescribing for noncancer pain has increased dramatically. We examined whether the prevalence of unhealthy lifestyles, psychologic distress, health care utilization, and co-prescribing of sedative-hypnotics increased with increasing duration of prescription opioid use.

Methods: We analyzed electronic data for 6 months before and after an index visit for back pain in a managed care plan.