Co-Occurring OUD & Chronic Pain: New Study

Although up to 60% of patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) also have chronic pain, the conditions have been mostly studied separately. A $4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s Helping End Addiction Long-term Initiative to the Wake Forest University School of Medicine hopes to remedy that disconnection. In addition to exploring potential interventions, researchers hope to reduce the disparities and the stigma of OUD while increasing health equity and awareness of community needs.

Dr. Meredith C.B. Adams, principal investigator and assistant professor of anesthesiology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, commented, “Traditionally, treatments for these conditions have been very siloed. There are interventions to treat chronic pain. There are interventions for opioid use, misuse or disorder, but what about treatments for people who have both? Our objective is to find effective interventions to make sure we’re addressing patient pain while also avoiding an escalation of opioid use disorder.” The grant is for 5 years.

 

Read the press release.

Other Categories:

• interventional pain management

• interventional procedures

• opioid use disorder (OUD)

• opioids

• research/study