An international study of analgesic dependence among people with pain in the general population

Abstract

Background: Overuse of and dependence on analgesics (including opioids and other pain medications) are major international public health problems. Objective: To identify influences on analgesic dependence among analgesic users in the general populations of different countries. Methods: Online surveys of 1,283 people with pain in the UK, USA, Australia, Germany, Egypt and China/Macau/Hong Kong. Results: Levels of analgesic overuse and dependence were highest in Egypt and lowest in China/Macau/Hong Kong. In every country except Egypt, frequency of pain and frequency of analgesic use were correlated with analgesic dependence, and scores on the Need subscale of the Pain Medication Attitudes Questionnaire (PMAQ; McCracken et al., 2006) independently predicted analgesic dependence. In the UK, USA, Australia and Germany, frequency of analgesic use mediated the effects of pain frequency or intensity, and Need scores mediated the effects of frequency of analgesic use. In Egypt, more recent pain, analgesic overuse, and the Emotion and Solicitude subscales of the Survey of Pain Attitudes (SOPA) independently predicted analgesic dependence. Conclusions: Across multiple countries, the impact of pain on analgesic dependence was mediated by frequency of analgesic use rather than overuse or abuse, and self-reported need for analgesics was the strongest independent predictor of dependence. Asking people directly about their feelings of needing analgesics could therefore identify those who could be helped to use analgesics less frequently, which should reduce their risk of dependence.

Pain coping, pain acceptance and analgesic use as predictors of health-related quality of life among women with primary dysmenorrhea

“…However, it remains possible that quality of life among women with menstrual pain could be increased by improved analgesic pain management, provided this can be achieved without risking analgesic dependence. 35 Two limitations of the study are that the sample size was not large and all the data were selfreported, with no objective clinical data. Future research might explore the role of pain acceptance among larger samples of women with dysmenorrhea in the general population, or clinical samples of women seeking or receiving medical help for dysmenorrhea, including clinical measures.…”

Pregnant women’s attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine and the use of phytotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

“…On the other hand, in another study, no statistically significant difference was found in terms of HCAM-related attitudes between pregnant women who used herbal medicine and those who did not use herbal medicine [ 39 ]. In a web-based study, where the participants were from the UK, the US, Australia, Germany, Egypt, and China, while the Chinese participants were found to have positive attitudes towards HCAM (26.36±6.00), the Egyptian participants were determined to have negative attitudes (37.02±3.92) [ 40 ]. It was reported in e previous study that half of the pregnant women had a positive attitudes towards HCAM [ 41 ].…”

Topical-Ozonized Olive Oil – A Boon for Post-Extraction Cases: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Being an unstable compound, ozone stimulates the production of oxidizing free radicals which selectively damage the cell wall and plasma membrane of microorganisms by hampering their enzymatic metabolism, thereby acting as a potent antimicrobial agent [1,11,18,19,20,21]. The anti-inflammatory action of ozone is attributed to its ability to promote the production of biologically active compounds such as leukotrienes, prostaglandins, and interleukins, which are known for their anti-inflammatory and analgesic actions.…”