Social Media as an Emerging Tool for Reducing Prescription Opioid Misuse Risk Factors (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Interventions are urgently needed to reduce prescription opioid misuse risk factors, including anxiety and concomitant use of sedatives. However, only 5 randomized controlled opioid intervention trials have been conducted, with none showing improvements in anxiety. OBJECTIVE We sought to determine the feasibility of using an online behavior change community, compared to a control Facebook group, to reduce anxiety and opioid misuse among chronic pain patients. METHODS 51 high-risk non-cancer chronic pain patients were randomly assigned to either a Harnessing Online Peer Education (HOPE) peer-led online behavior change intervention or a control group (no peer leaders) on Facebook for 12 weeks. Inclusion criteria were: 18 years or older, a UCLA Health System patient, prescribed an opioid for non-cancer chronic pain between 3 and 12 months ago, and a score of ≥ 9 on the Current Opioid Misuse Measure (COMM) and/or concomitant use of benzodiazepines. Participation in the online community was voluntary. Patients completed baseline and follow-up assessments on Generalized Anxiety Disorder screener (GAD-7), COMM, and frequency of social media discussions about pain and opioid use. RESULTS Compared to control group participants, intervention participants showed a baseline-to-follow-up decrease in anxiety, and more frequently used social media to discuss pain, prescription opioid use, coping strategies, places to seek help, and alternative therapies for pain. Both groups showed a baseline to follow-up decrease in COMM score. CONCLUSIONS Results support the feasibility of using an online community interventions as a low-cost tool to decrease risk for prescription opioid misuse and its complications. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02735785

Download Full-text

Borderline Personality Disorder Features and Risk for Prescription Opioid Misuse in a Chronic Pain Sample: Roles for Identity Disturbances and Impulsivity

Journal of Personality Disorders ◽

10.1521/pedi_2019_33_440 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Caleb J. Reynolds ◽

Noel Vest ◽

Sarah L. Tragesser

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Borderline Personality Disorder ◽

Personality Disorder ◽

Borderline Personality ◽

Prescription Opioid ◽

Opioid Misuse ◽

Opioid Use ◽

Chronic Pain Patients ◽

Prescription Opioid Misuse ◽

Pain Patients

Although borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with both chronic pain and substance abuse, little research examines how BPD features in chronic pain patients may constitute a risk factor for misuse of prescription opioids, and no prior research has examined which particular component(s) of BPD might put chronic pain patients at risk—an oversight that undermines prevention and treatment of such problematic opioid use. In a cross-sectional study of patients in treatment for chronic pain (N = 147), BPD features were associated with several measures of prescription opioid misuse, even controlling for pain severity and interference. Specifically, the identity disturbances and self-harmful impulsivity facets of BPD were most consistently associated with opioid misuse, and exploratory analyses suggested that these factors may be interactive in their effects. Together, these results suggest that BPD features—especially unstable identity and self-harmful impulsivity—play a unique role in problematic prescription opioid use in chronic pain settings.

Download Full-text

Managing Pain in Patients with a History of a Substance Use Disorder

10.1093/med/9780199981830.003.0008 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Martin D. Cheatle

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Substance Use ◽

Opioid Use Disorder ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Scholarly Activity ◽

Prescription Opioid ◽

Opioid Misuse ◽

Opioid Use ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Prescription Opioid Misuse

Patients with chronic pain tend to be complex and can present with multiple comorbidities, including anxiety, depression, functional disabilities, and substance misuse or abuse. The burgeoning rate of prescription opioid misuse and abuse and opioid-related fatalities has generated a great deal of scholarly activity on understanding the etiology of opioid misuse/abuse and developing risk assessment and mitigation strategies to curb this public health crisis. Balancing effective pain management and reducing the risk of opioid misuse/abuse and diversion can be a daunting endeavor, as is controlling pain in patients with pain and concomitant substance use disorders. This chapter provides an overview of the prevalence of opioid misuse/abuse in patients with chronic pain. It covers pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapies for patients with pain and co-occurring opioid use disorder and also discusses the challenges and opportunities to improve pain care and reduce misuse and abuse of opioids.

Download Full-text

Social media as an emerging tool for reducing prescription opioid misuse risk factors

Heliyon ◽

10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03471 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. e03471 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sean D. Young ◽

Sung-Jae Lee ◽

Hendry Perez ◽

Navkiran Gill ◽

Lillian Gelberg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Social Media ◽

Prescription Opioid ◽

Opioid Misuse ◽

Prescription Opioid Misuse

Download Full-text

Ask the Experts: What do we know (and not know) about prescription opioid misuse in the context of chronic pain management?

Pain Management ◽

10.2217/pmt.11.40 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 1 (5) ◽

pp. 395-398

Author(s):

James Zacny

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Pain Management ◽

Prescription Opioid ◽

Chronic Pain Management ◽

Opioid Misuse ◽

Prescription Opioid Misuse

Download Full-text

Psychosocial interventions for chronic pain and comorbid prescription opioid use disorders: A narrative review of the literature

Journal of Opioid Management ◽

10.5055/jom.2018.0467 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 14 (5) ◽

pp. 345-358 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Valerie Hruschak, MSW ◽

Gerald Cochran, PhD ◽

Ajay D. Wasan, MD, MSc

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Psychosocial Interventions ◽

Treatment Modalities ◽

Prescription Opioid ◽

Future Research ◽

Motivational Enhancement Therapy ◽

Opioid Misuse ◽

Opioid Use ◽

Chronic Noncancer Pain ◽

Opioid Use Disorders

Objective: Opioid misuse in the context of chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) is a multifaceted and complex issue. As opioid misuse and corresponding rates of addiction and overdose deaths exceed epidemic proportions, there is an urgent need for research in this area. The objective of this review is to evaluate the literature addressing psychosocial interventions targeting CNCP and prescription opioid misuse.Design: A systematic search of PubMed, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, ClinicalTrials. gov was conducted to identify studies evaluating psychosocial interventions targeting CNCP and prescription opioid misuse. The review was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.Results: 56 peer-reviewed research articles from 1993 to July, 2016, which included studies of psychosocial interventions for CNCP and opioid use disorders. Studies that examined psychosocial interventions for CNCP, treatment modalities included: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction, and chronic pain self-management programs. The psychosocial interventions for opioid misuse included: CBT and relapse prevention, motivational enhancement therapy and stages of change, contingency management, and self-help and peer support-based groups.Conclusions: The findings of this review offer clinical insight and reinforce the importance of psychosocial interventions in CNCP and opioid use disorders. However, little empirical data are available to guide practitioners in treating patients with CNCP who misuse opioid medications, and thus future research on integrated approaches, is needed.

Download Full-text