21
Fitzgerald Health Education Associates, Inc., April 2015 fhea.com
opioid to treat short-term or longer-term pain from
2009 through 2013. The study analyzed trends ac-
cording to age, gender, and geography, and looked
at users prescribed opioids in combination with oth-
er medications. The report also notes that the United
States has 5% of the world's population but con-
sumes about 80% of the world's opioid supply.
The study defined short-term users as patients
prescribed opiate pain medications for a total supply
of 30 days or less within a 1-year period. Longer-
term users were those prescribed an opiate pain
medication for more than a 30-day supply in a 1-year
period.
Chronic Use at Higher Doses and in Combinations
The study found that not only are patients using
these medications chronically, they are using them
at higher doses than expected. An important finding
was that patients are using opioids in combinations
for which there is not a great deal of clinical justifica-
tion, said Glen Stettin, senior vice president at Ex-
press Scripts,
2
including benzodiazepine and muscle
News Briefs
Stay Up-to-Date
with the Latest in
Pharmacotherapeutics
Fitzgerald Health Education Associates
pharmacology packages are tailored to your
practice needs
•
Family NP Pharmacology
•
Adult-Gerontology NP Pharmacology
•
Gerontological Pharmacology
For more information
or to purchase these products,
click for
pharmacology packages.
Check Out the Latest
Fitzgerald Health
Programs
Learn from nationally acclaimed
and engaging educator
Dr. Margaret A. Fitzgerald
•
Best of the $4 Drugs: Optimizing Your
Choice of the Least Costly Generics
Online or CD
•
Assessment and Intervention of COPD:
The Latest Treatment Recommendations
Online or CD
•
Show Me the Evidence: EBP in the Use of
Vitamins, Herbs, and Minerals
Online or CD
•
Migraine and Tension Headache: The Latest
Treatment Recommendations
Online or CD
Fitzgerald Health Education Associates, Inc. Fitzgerald Health Education Associates, Inc.
Continued on page 23