The Conundrum of Opioid Tapering in Long-Term Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain: A Commentary
Manhapra A, Arias A, Ballantyne J. The Conundrum of Opioid Tapering in Long-Term Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain: A Commentary. Substance Use & Addiction Journal 2018, 39: 152-161. PMID: 28929914, PMCID: PMC6129223, DOI: 10.1080/08897077.2017.1381663.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsLong-term opioid therapyOpioid taperingChronic painOpioid therapyOpioid dependencePsychiatric symptomsHigher-dose long-term opioid therapyClinical scenariosPoor pain controlTerm opioid therapyUse of opioidsDifficult clinical scenariosUnique clinical challengesOpioid needsPain controlNeuroplasticity effectsAbstinence syndromeFunctional statusOpioid epidemicClinical challengeFunctional declinePainAffective symptomsPsychiatric instabilityAvailable evidence