Chronic Pain, Opioid Use In Returning US Combat Troops Examined

USA Today (6/30, Zoroya) reports that according to the results of a US Army-funded study published online June 30 in JAMA Internal Medicine, “the rate of narcotic prescription use among US troops coming out of combat is more than three times the rate for civilians and more than 44% of service members complain of chronic pain lasting longer than three months.” The study “was based on a survey of soldiers in an Army brigade three months after returning from Afghanistan in 2011.” Of that group, “more than 45% said they had been injured in combat.”

The Los Angeles Times (6/30, Zarembo) “Science Now” blog reports that the majority of the 1,131 soldiers who reported chronic pain “were taking over-the-counter medications,” and “fewer than a quarter — or 259 —had a prescription for opioids.” Of the latter group, “most…said they had used opioids a ‘few or several days’ during the past month, while 60 soldiers had taken them nearly every day.”

Related Links:

— “Many combat veterans use prescription narcotics,” Gregg Zoroya, USA Today, July 2, 2014.

Posted in In The News.