Which of the following is most vulnerable to opioid addiction?
A) A person who has had a hip replacement for osteoarthritis
B) A person who has had a carpal tunnel release for chronic CTS
C) A person with a shoulder replacement who had preoperative pain
D) A person who had their wisdom teeth removed

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Who is most affected by the opioid epidemic in the United States? According to recent literature, postsurgical patients, adolescent athletes, and people with chronic pain who have been prescribed opioids are among those most affected (Brummett et al., 2017; NIDA, 2018a). According to NIDA (2018a), 21-29% of people with chronic pain with opioid prescriptions misuse them, and 8-12% develop an opioid use disorder. Approximately 4-6% of those who misuse their prescribed opioids transition to heroin use; conversely, 80% of heroin users first misused prescribed opioids. Brummett et al. (2017) reported that 5.9-6.5% of people who were prescribed opioids following a major or minor surgery demonstrated new, persistent opioid use-defined as those new to opioid use filling opioid prescriptions 90-180 days after surgery, long after post-surgery pharmacological pain relief would typically be needed. Incidences of persistent opioid use did not correlate with whether the participants of the study had a major or minor surgery. Instead, persistent opioid use was significantly linked to the presence of another SUD, anxiety, depression, or preoperative pain disorders, such as chronic neck or back pain or arthritis. Literature suggests that the duration of use (22.1 months or more) positively affects the likelihood of developing an addiction (Fishbain, Cole, Lewis, Rosomoff, & Rosomoff, 2007).

Which of the Following Is Most Vulnerable to Opioid Addiction