Americans between the ages of 45 and 64 accounted for about 44 percent of overdose deaths in 2013 and 2014, and the number of adults older than 50 seeking treatment for opioid addiction has increased dramatically, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One key strategy to counter this is to empower patients to manage pain with alternatives to opioids whenever possible, such as by controlling daytime pain after surgery with non-opioid medication, or only using opioids at night or not at all. Read more in this article and on the CDC website.
Studies indicate that even one prescription can be a trigger for long-term use, and a 30-day supply leads to a 35 percent chance a patient will still be on opioids one year later and struggling with an addiction.
Learn more on WSHA’s website about WSHA’s work on opioids and medication safety. (Meg Kilcup)
