Toronto: Painkillers are not always helpful as patients recover from minor surgery and may also be contributing to the current opioid crisis, according to a study published in The Lancet.
The study, led by a team from McGill University in Canada, examined the results of 47 randomized clinical trials in patients discharged after a mild or moderate procedure ranging from molar extraction to foot surgery.
The findings showed that prescribing opiates after recovery and hospital discharge after surgery did not reduce pain intensity but increased adverse events.
Prescribing opioids is associated with an increased risk of vomiting and other adverse events, including nausea, constipation, dizziness, and drowsiness.
Dr. Julio Fiore, assistant professor at McGill suggested that clinicians consider prescribing non-opiate analgesia in these surgical settings.
Avoiding opioids in many cases can improve patients’ recovery experience while helping to mitigate the well-documented dangers of opiate addiction, Fiore told CBC News.
“We really expect these findings to encourage changes in prescribing practices.” “After all, like opioid prescribing and post-discharge, our research has shown that it doesn’t seem to be as beneficial to patients as previously thought,” he said.
However, Fiore noted that more research is needed involving opioid prescribing after major surgery to determine best practices.
Of the studies reviewed, 30 involved minor procedures (most of which were dental) and 17 involved procedures of a more moderate nature, such as on the shoulder or leg.
Among the opioids most commonly prescribed by surgeons are oxycodone, hydromorphone, tramadol and codeine, according to the researchers.
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