Scientists have reported that use of narcotics for chronic pain in elderly works, as they are less likely to ask for increasing the dose. On the other hand, the use of the drug for younger adults may lead to constant increase in the dosage with serious health repercussions.
The drugs in question are opioid pain medications like morphine, methadone and oxycodone. Opioid drugs are used for treating pain due to nerve damage, fibromyalgia, arthritis and many such conditions. Physicians prescribing the medicine have shied away from these medicines as they feel that patients will be asking for them to increase the dosage on continuous usage. The new study says that for elderly patients such behavior may not arise.In the study done by American scientists to assess the need for narcotics in younger adults versus the elderly, researchers have suggested that narcotics may be prescribed for sever chronic pain in the elderly in little doses with no health hazards. The results of the study shows that 60% of the elderly people show less risk of opioids doses from rising than young adults.
The results of this study will be seen in the new issue of the journal Anesthesia and Analgesia.
