New York: Patients who frequently consume opioid medicines or painkillers to manage chronic pain are more likely to experience depression, says a new research.
Previous research had found depression to be linked with patients' opioid use, but this study has identified the association between an increase in opioid use and an increase in depression.
Jeffrey Scherrer, associate professor for family and community medicine at the Saint Louis University in the US, and his colleagues studied questionnaires from 355 patients who reported chronic low back pain initially and at one-year and two-year follow ups.
The patients also reported the number of years they had been suffering from chronic pain.
"Better understanding of temporal relationship between opioids and depression, and the dose of opioids that places patients at risk for depression may inform prescribing, pain management and improve outcomes for patients with chronic, non-cancer pain," Scherrer wrote.
Contributing factors for cases of new-onset depression, according to this study and previous research conducted, may include both the amount of daily morphine exposure and the duration of exposure.
"This would expand intervention targets to limit the risk of depression in patients who need long-term opioid therapy," he added.
The study appeared in the journal Pain.
Comments
| Quick linksNews
National
International
Regional
Politics
Education & Career
Business
Science & Technology
Health
Views & Analysis
The Funny Side
© 2012 Awaz Multimedia & Publications. All rights reserved.
65-year long battle for right to Muslim endowment land finally hits streets, decision taken after BJP-led state government allotted Muslim Wakf land to National Law University
Taking to the streets the 65-year long battle for the right to own the Ismail Yusuf College and adjoining land in Mumbai's Jogeshwari area .... More
Also Read: Fights for Rights: Ismail Yusuf College and Indu Mill Compound
Chief Minister Fadnavis's assurance fails to end deadlock, vegetable prices soar
Maharashtra beef suppliers, who are on strike since February 11 in Mumbai and February 10 in other places of Maharashtra, have vowed to continue their protest if a clearer policy is not announced ....... More
The next day, petty traders who routinely paid policemen bribes every morning while moving their home manufactured goods from Sangam Vihar in south Delhi were surprised that no one sought . . ... More
Excerpted from "Qur'anic Paradigms of Sciences and Society" Volume 1: Dynamic Paradigm of Health
At that time, my suggestion was laughed off. Now even the WHO has recognised it as an important part in the strategy to combat AIDS. With the advance of Sexual Revolution it can be expected that newer infections will continue to haunt humans; and .... More
A daily piece on the present assembly will inevitably bring Messrs Jagdish Pradhan (Mustafabad), Om Prakash Sharma (Biswas Nagar) and Vijendra Gupta (Rohini) into disproportionate focus. In parliamentary systems, the opposition provides the flavour. .... More
The first king to make circumambulation around the Ka'bah without security, he left US president Obama alone to offer Asr prayers
King Salman bin Abdulaziz, who is known for his contributions made to memorization of the Holy Quran, intonation and recitation, memorized the entire Quran while he was only . ... More
Also Read: King Salman leaves Obama alone to offer Asr prayers
But since sweeping to power last year with the biggest national election victory in three decades, Modi and his BJP have generated "an aura of invincibility" winning a succession of other state elections... More
Also Read: Delhi results repudiation of BJP's 'polarising' politics: Pakistan daily