Guidelines on opioid use in 2017 have had damaging consequences for many people living with chronic pain. Today, experts and doctors are trying to find the right balance.
Despite guidelines established in 2017, opioid prescribing remains a sensitive issue to this day. While opioids were prescribed more frequently in the past, the new guidelines only recommend opioids as a last resort. Unfortunately, this change in approach to opioids has penalised a number of patients whose use of opioids was essential to their proper functioning. In this article, Prof Marc Martel (McGill University), Prof Jason Busse (McMaster University), Prof Juurlink (University of Toronto), Prof Abhimanyu (University of Toronto) and Prof Goyer (University Institute of Dependence) give their views on opioid prescribing, patient withdrawal, stigma, mental health and the new guidelines for opioid use and prescribing. Opioids should only be prescribed in specific situations, and opioid deprescribing should always be considered by the treating physician and the patient, putting forward alternative multidisciplinary approaches to pain management.
