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Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Assessment of Morphine-induced Hyperalgesia and Analgesic Tolerance in Mice Using Thermal and Mechanical Nociceptive Modalities
Published on: July 29, 2014
Secondary adrenal insufficiency induced by long-term use of opioid analgesics
1Department of Family and Community Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Science CenterLubbockTexas.
Abstract:
The effects of long-term use of opioid analgesics on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis are not well recognized. We report a 41-year-old woman on chronic opioid therapy hospitalized for cardiovascular collapse following a right stellate ganglion nerve block. She developed severe hypotension after the procedure. Morning cortisol was low. The results from the cosyntropin test were consistent with secondary adrenal insufficiency. Her secondary adrenal insufficiency was likely due to long-term use of opioid analgesics for pain in the absence of other etiologies.
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