lequebecfume
08-31-2009, 06:06 AM
Non-compliance among chronic pain sufferers
31 August 2009 | by Simone Roberts
A new study has shown high levels of inappropriate drug use in the chronic pain population.
The study, published in Population Health Management , revealed that 75 per cent of patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain were unlikely to be taking their medicine in a manner consistent with their prescribed regimen.
Data from more than 900,000 urine toxicology tests conducted on over 500,000 patients prescribed chronic opioid therapy in the US showed 38 per cent of patients had no detectable level of their prescribed medication; 27 per cent had a drug level higher than expected while 15 per cent had a drug level lower than expected.
Patients 35-50 were over 30 per cent more likely than patients 12-21 to have no prescribed medication detected in their urine.
Illicit drugs such as cocaine or methamphetamines were detected in the urine of 11 per cent of patients and 29 per cent had a medication in their system that their doctor was unaware of.
The urine tests showed that only one-quarter of patients were taking their medications as prescribed with no evidence of illicit drug use or misuse of prescribed drugs.
"The high observed rate of non-compliance demonstrates a significant clinical concern and confirms the importance of periodic urine drug screening for the population prescribed long-term opioid therapy," the authors wrote.
The study also revealed that males were significantly more likely to have an illicit drug detected in their system than females. Illicit drug use was nearly twice as likely in patients between the ages of 12 and 21 as in patients between the ages of 35 and 50.
According to the 2007 National Drug Strategy Household Survey, more than one million Australians have used pharmaceuticals for non-medical purposes.
http://www.pharmacynews.com.au/article/non-compliance-among-chronic-pain-sufferers/496243.aspx
--LEQ
gee I wonder why ??!
31 August 2009 | by Simone Roberts
A new study has shown high levels of inappropriate drug use in the chronic pain population.
The study, published in Population Health Management , revealed that 75 per cent of patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain were unlikely to be taking their medicine in a manner consistent with their prescribed regimen.
Data from more than 900,000 urine toxicology tests conducted on over 500,000 patients prescribed chronic opioid therapy in the US showed 38 per cent of patients had no detectable level of their prescribed medication; 27 per cent had a drug level higher than expected while 15 per cent had a drug level lower than expected.
Patients 35-50 were over 30 per cent more likely than patients 12-21 to have no prescribed medication detected in their urine.
Illicit drugs such as cocaine or methamphetamines were detected in the urine of 11 per cent of patients and 29 per cent had a medication in their system that their doctor was unaware of.
The urine tests showed that only one-quarter of patients were taking their medications as prescribed with no evidence of illicit drug use or misuse of prescribed drugs.
"The high observed rate of non-compliance demonstrates a significant clinical concern and confirms the importance of periodic urine drug screening for the population prescribed long-term opioid therapy," the authors wrote.
The study also revealed that males were significantly more likely to have an illicit drug detected in their system than females. Illicit drug use was nearly twice as likely in patients between the ages of 12 and 21 as in patients between the ages of 35 and 50.
According to the 2007 National Drug Strategy Household Survey, more than one million Australians have used pharmaceuticals for non-medical purposes.
http://www.pharmacynews.com.au/article/non-compliance-among-chronic-pain-sufferers/496243.aspx
--LEQ
gee I wonder why ??!