Elderly sometimes keep using opioids after surgery

“We in general are concerned about toxicities of all medications in the elderly,” said Solomon, who wasn’t involved in the new study.

“Because opioids are associated with cognitive changes as well as changes in balance, the elderly are at high risk of some of the potential adverse effects.”

Solomon said he wasn’t aware of any research showing that the elderly are more or less at risk of abusing opioids compared to younger patients.

Just how addictive the painkillers are remains a controversial issue. But as prescriptions for the drugs have skyrocketed in recent years, the number of people abusing and overdosing on them has increased as well. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14,800 people were killed by a prescription drug overdose in 2008.

Cutting back on opioid prescribing and use is an important goal, researchers agreed—but it’s unclear how best to make sure that happens.

Solomon, like Bell, suggested more discussions between doctors and patients about potential risks with opioids, as well as systems that would link medical, pharmaceutical and insurance records and alert doctors when patients are refilling their painkiller prescriptions.

SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, online March 12, 2012.

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Long-term Analgesic Use After Low-Risk Surgery
A Retrospective Cohort Study

Asim Alam, MD; Tara Gomes, MHSc; Hong Zheng, MSc; Muhammad M. Mamdani, PharmD, MA, MPH; David N. Juurlink, MD, PhD; Chaim M. Bell, MD, PhD

Arch Intern Med. 2012;172(5):425-430. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2011.1827