High Doses Of Opioid Painkillers May Increase Risk For Depression

HealthDay (2/21, Preidt) reported that a study published in the February issue of the journal Pain suggests that “high doses of” opioids may be associated with an increased risk for depression. The study, which “involved 355 patients in Texas who reported low back pain at an initial medical visit and still had the pain one and two years later,” revealed that patients “who used higher doses of narcotic painkillers to manage their pain were more likely to have an increase in depression.”

Related Links:

— “Narcotic Painkiller Use Tied to Higher Risk for Depression,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, February 20, 2015.

Posted in In The News.