Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Narcotic bowel syndrome.

Adam D Farmer¹, Jayne Gallagher², Caroline Bruckner-Holt³

¹Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospitals of North Midlands, Stoke on Trent, UK; Mech-Sense, Department of Gastroenterology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark; Centre for Trauma and Neuroscience, Blizard Institute, Wingate Institute of Neurogastroenterology, Barts and the London School of Medicine & Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.

The Lancet. Gastroenterology & Hepatology

|April 12, 2017

Summary

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Esophageal Dysmotility and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Risk in Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association·2026

Same author

Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Systemic Comorbidities in Patients With POTS: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Neurogastroenterology and motility·2026

Same author

Cannabis Use Is Associated With Increased Healthcare Utilization and Poorer Outcomes in Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome-A Propensity Matched Analysis of 34,988 Individuals.

Neurogastroenterology and motility·2026

Same author

Women with chronic pelvic pain can be stratified using multimodal assessment.

Pain·2026

Same author

The value of a non-invasive bladder sensitivity paradigm in chronic pelvic pain.

Reproduction & fertility·2026

Same author

Centrally Mediated Disorders of Gastrointestinal Pain.

Gastroenterology·2026

Same journal

Bowel endometriosis: from pathogenesis to clinical management.

The lancet. Gastroenterology & hepatology·2026

Same journal

The Rome V criteria for the diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome in secondary care: a diagnostic accuracy study.

The lancet. Gastroenterology & hepatology·2026

Same journal

The central role of primary care in liver health.

The lancet. Gastroenterology & hepatology·2026

Same journal

The role of primary care in response to the global liver disease syndemic: a Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology Commission.

The lancet. Gastroenterology & hepatology·2026

Same journal

Dupilumab versus placebo in adults and adolescents with eosinophilic gastritis (DEGAS): a double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2, multicentre, randomised controlled trial.

The lancet. Gastroenterology & hepatology·2026

Same journal

Addition of ipilimumab to atezolizumab plus bevacizumab in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (PRODIGE 81-FFCD 2101-TRIPLET HCC): phase 2 results from a randomised, multicentre, open-label, phase 2-3 trial.

The lancet. Gastroenterology & hepatology·2026

See all related articles

This summary is machine-generated.

Narcotic bowel syndrome (NBS) involves worsening abdominal pain due to opioid therapy. Management focuses on opioid detoxification, but high relapse rates indicate a need for further research into effective treatments.

Area of Science:

Gastroenterology
Pain Management
Pharmacology

Background:

Narcotic bowel syndrome (NBS) is characterized by increased abdominal pain with escalating opioid use.
NBS is likely underdiagnosed despite the widespread opioid epidemic.
Opioid-induced hyperalgesia is a key, though incompletely understood, pathophysiological mechanism.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the understanding of narcotic bowel syndrome.
To discuss the mechanisms underlying opioid-induced hyperalgesia in NBS.
To outline current management strategies and identify research needs.

Main Methods:

Literature review of pathophysiological mechanisms.
Summary of clinical presentation and diagnostic considerations.

Related Experiment Videos

Overview of management approaches, including opioid detoxification.

Main Results:

Opioid-induced hyperalgesia, neuroinflammation, and N-methyl D-aspartate receptor interactions are implicated in NBS.
Management involves patient education, therapeutic alliance, and opioid detoxification.
Current detoxification regimens show high recidivism rates.

Conclusions:

Narcotic bowel syndrome is a complex condition linked to opioid therapy.
Effective management requires addressing opioid-induced hyperalgesia and implementing detoxification.
Further research is essential to improve NBS epidemiology understanding and treatment efficacy.