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- Created: 24 August 2018 24 August 2018
Less and less people in Denmark are prescribed opioids as part of their long term treatment of pain according to figures from the period 2008 – 2017 released by the Danish Health Authority. During that period the number of long term users (more than 5 years) of opioids has dropped from 86,000 to 60,000. The number of opioid users in 2017 is the lowest number in ten years, writes the Danish Health Authority on its website.
Opioids are used to treat chronic back pain, but it is uncertain if the balance between beneficial and harmful effects is positive for most patients when they are treated with opioids. Hence, there has been increasing focus on reducing the use recently. It now looks as if this effort is paying off.
Instead of opioids, non-pharmalogical interventions like pain management or exercise should be used as a central and integrated part of the treatment of chronic back pain.
Read more here (article in Danish): https://www.sst.dk/da/nyheder/2018/faerre-personer-har-et-langtidsforbrug-af-opioider