Opioid "mythstakes": opioid analgesics--current clinical and regulatory perspectives

Barriers to appropriate prescribing of opioids include the deficit in educating medical students in core curricula. Other barriers include physicians' lack of knowledge of pain management, failure to educate their patients or include them in treatment options, and failure to take adequate medical histories and obtain records of their patients' previous treatment. In addition, physicians often lack the ability to distinguish the patient who is suffering pain from the addict. Patients, too, may fear that opioid therapy may cause addiction. This article provides an overview of guidelines and federal regulations for prescribing opioids, along with some caveats, in the hope that physicians and patients alike will appreciate that pain management is an integral part of treatment. And, that treatment is aimed at decreasing or eradicating pain and maintaining patients' function to the greatest possible degree while monitoring and treating side effects.