Study Shows Half of Veterans Use Opioids Chronically

March 11, 2014

Of nearly 1 million veterans who receive opioids to treat painful conditions, more than half continue to consume opioids chronically or beyond 90 days, new research says. Results presented at the 30th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine reported on a number of factors associated with opioid discontinuation with the goal of understanding how abuse problems take hold in returning veterans.

Study subjects were drawn from national Veterans Healthcare Administration (VHA) data. Criteria for inclusion included at least two outpatient visits at a VHA facility in 2009 and at least 90 days of opioid use within a 180-day period. Opioid discontinuation was defined as no opioid use for at least six months. Read the full story