Chronic pain management

We need a more rational approach to opioid prescribing

The rates of opioid misuse and related deaths may be lower in the UK than in the United States, but healthcare professionals should remain vigilant when caring for patients with chronic pain.…

Roger Knaggs: ‘We need to find a balance between appropriate use and minimising harm’

Government adviser and specialist pharmacist Roger Knaggs speaks about reducing opioid dependency, non-drug alternatives for chronic pain and why we need to be cautious about medical cannabis.…

Novel drug for chronic migraine approved in Scotland

The first monoclonal antibody therapy for the prevention of chronic migraine has been approved for use by the Scottish Medicines Consortium.…

Joint pain: pathology and treatment

An overview of joint pain for community pharmacy teams.…

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Opioid prescribing will not reach levels seen in the United States, RCGP says

By limiting repeat prescriptions for patients, the NHS — and in particular general practice — is protecting the UK from an opioid crisis similar to the one in the United States, the Royal College of General Practitioners has said.…

How pharmacists can help prevent an ‘opioid crisis’ developing in the UK

Pharmacy must demonstrate that it has the knowledge and skills to support people to use opiods safely and effectively.…

Pain relief: designing better opioids

While opioids are powerful painkillers, they come with dangerous side effects and carry a sometimes fatal risk of addiction. However, new, safer opioids are being developed using a variety of innovative strategies to maximise analgesic properties, while reducing the burden of side effects.…

Opioids no better than non-opioids for chronic back and osteoarthritis pain

The results of a 12-month study show that opioids provided no benefit over non-opioid medications for improving pain-related function in people with chronic back pain or hip or knee osteoarthritis.…

Opioid use on the rise in England, particularly in the north, study finds

Long-term opioid use for chronic non-cancer pain is rising steeply in England according to a study in the British Journal of General Practice …

Chronic pain medication linked to poor cardiometabolic outcomes

Research raises questions about the impact of chronic pain medication on cardiometabolic health …