Background: We examined prescription of the opioids used most often in cancer pain relief in the Norwegian counties, doctors' use of the law section concerning reimbursement of medicine to incurable far advanced cancer patients, and the prescription of analgesics with codein to this patient group.
Material And Method: Data were retrieved from The Norwegian prescription database for the period 01.01.04 to 31.08.05 (NorPD) on every prescription of slow and instant release morphine and oxycodone for oral administration and of transdermal fentanyl patches. SPSS was used for analyses.
Results: 5,675,038 Defined Daily Doses (DDD) of strong opioids were prescribed to 20,797 patients (46% of these to cancer patients) from 01.01.04 to 31.08.05. The county that prescribed most had prescribed 2.83 times more opioids than the county that had prescribed the least. Use of the law section concerning prescription of opioids indicates that these are prescribed as much for non-malignant diseases as for cancer. "Codein analgesics" are also commonly prescribed to cancer patients.
Interpretation: Prescription of strong opioids varies substantially in Norway's counties. Doctors' knowledge, attitude, geographical and cultural differences may be some reasons for this. Knowledge about and use of the law section concerning reimbursement is probably not good enough. Increased awareness of how to treat cancer pain is important go give a good treatment offer to all in Norway.
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA; Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV Research, School of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.
Introduction: Opioid withdrawal is a regular occurrence for many people who use illicit opioids (PWUIO) involving acute physical and psychological pain. Yet, there is very little data on the withdrawal experience of people in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) and almost none from the patients' experience. Learning more about patients' withdrawal experiences can help to inform policies and practices that are better suited to address withdrawal and may improve patient satisfaction as well as uptake and retention.
Stanford University School of Medicine, Office of PA Education, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA, United States; Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Primary Care and Population Health, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA, United States; Kaiser Permanente Mountain View Medical Offices, Department of Internal Medicine, 555 Castro Street, Mountain View, CA, United States. Electronic address:
Background: The opioid epidemic remains a significant public health crisis in the United States. Naloxone has been identified as a critical component in combating this crisis. However, co-prescription rates among patients receiving opioids remain suboptimal, especially among certain high-risk populations.
Introduction: Opioid use disorder is a chronic illness with significant morbidity and mortality. Opioid agonists, like buprenorphine, are commonly used to prevent relapse. Recent changes in buprenorphine legislation are expected to increase prescription and guidelines recommend its continuation during the perioperative period for many patients.
Background: Cancer patients frequently suffer from pain, often managed with opioids. However, undertreated pain remains a significant concern. Opioid effectiveness varies due to genetic differences in how individuals metabolize some of these medications.
