assess healthy and unhealthy relationships between prescription opioids and adolescents in America. He added that the goal isn’t to cut down prescription opioids but to achieve a balance by assuring parents are appropriately treated when medically necessary while reducing the likelihood of opioid-related consequences.
There are several useful approaches physicians can take, he said:
- “Use prescription drug monitoring programs to assist in identifying misuse as a routine practice.”
- “Clinical decision making with adolescents and parents/guardians about risks and benefits of pain management with and without prescription opioids, including the importance of proper storage, monitoring and disposal of prescription opioids.”
- “Screening for any history of nonmedical use of prescription opioids, substance use disorders and other mental health disorders.”
- “Prescribing the lowest effective dose and the minimum quantity with concomitant use of acetaminophen or ibuprofen to decrease opioid requirement when not contraindicated.”
- “Avoiding concurrent prescription of sedatives per the Center for Disease and Control and Prevention’s best practice recommendations.”
The target goal isn’t to decrease prescription opioids but to achieve a healthy balance between ensuring patients are appropriately evaluated with prescription opioids when necessary while reducing the likelihood of adverse opioid-related results, he said. “The current study and other national studies indicate we have more work to do in order to strike the correct balance.”
