Use of addictive opioid painkillers doubles in decade

The use of opioid painkillers in Belgium has more than doubled since 2005, according to Flemish science magazine Eos, using figures provided by medical insurance agency Riziv. The number of doses prescribed increased from 31 million in 2005 to 65 million in 2014.

Opioid painkillers, which include morphine and codeine, are very efficient in battling pain but also addictive. The use of them is not without risk, noted the magazine: The prescription-only painkillers cause more deaths in the US than heroin and cocaine combined. In one of the most prominent cases, an autopsy showed that pop star Prince died from the use of opioid painkillers.

The drugs, which are marketed in Belgium under the names fentanyl and tramadol, among others, can be extremely useful for cancer patients or those with severe joint and bone pain, according to Bart Morlion, pain specialist at the University Hospital of Leuven. But they are also being prescribed for headaches and back pain.

Pharmaceutical company campaigns “have led doctors to more easily prescribe stronger drugs,” explained Morlion. “Opioids were underused for a long time, but now the opposite has become true.”

His colleague, Catharina Matheï of KU Leuven’s Academic Centre for Family Medicine, said that part of the problem was how modern society deals with pain. “We refused to accept pain anymore and want a quick solution,” she said. “But we need to be careful that we don’t add to the problem by immediately turning to strong painkillers.”

Statistics from Flanders’ drug rehabilitation centres don’t indicate that more people are addicted to opioids than before. But that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s no problem, it said, as many people with an addiction to painkillers don’t seek help.

Photo: Magic Madzik - Flickr