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Health Center on Opioid Use for Pain Management

Health Center on Opioid Use for Pain Management

Opioids are a classification of drugs that includes hydrocodone (eg, Vicodin), oxycodone (eg, OxyContin), oxymorphone (eg, Opana), and methadone.

Since 1999, sales of prescription opioids have quadrupled in the United States.

As sales have skyrocketed, so has abuse, addiction, and overdose. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 2 million Americans abused or were dependent on prescription opioids in 2014, and more than 165,000 people died from related overdose between 1999 and 2014. Meanwhile, use of heroin, an illegal opioid, has also increased.

In response to the “heartbreaking toll,” in February 2016 President Obama proposed $1.1 billion in new funding to address the national public health epidemic.

The CDC released guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic pain in March 2016.

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Health and Wellness Tips

Did You Know

  • CDC Recommends Physical Therapy and Other Nondrug Options for Chronic Pain
  • Using Opioids for More Than 30 Days Could Increase Depression Risk
  • Widespread Pain is Creating Widespread Prescription Drug Use

Additional Information

Expore other Health Centers for additional resources on exercise, health, and wellness.

This information was originally posted on the American Physical Therapy Association’s website.  Click here to view it.

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