Treating chronic pain in patients with a substance abuse history is challenging. Patients abusing opioids may have a high pain tolerance, making pain control difficult. Available treatments for acute pain include regional and multimodal analgesia. Non-opioid and nonpharmacological analgesia (including interventional modalities, physical rehabilitation, chiropractic manipulations, and pain psychology) can be used to treat chronic pain. Patients’ past and present opioid use—illicit drug or nonmedical prescription opioid use, maintenance on medication-assisted treatment, or abstinence—should be taken into consideration when choosing between chronic pain treatments. Consultation with an addictionologist can facilitate this population’s successful treatment.
Typologies of Prescription Opioid Use in a Large Sample of Adults Assessed for Substance Abuse Treatment
