Opioids are strong pain-relieving medications that play an important role in the treatment of acute, severe pain, following surgeries and in the case of cancer. However, it is not recommended to treat long-term, non-cancer-related pain with opioids over an long period as this is associated with a number of negative consequences, including addiction.
Based on data from a large registry linkage, researchers in the SERAF-based POINT project studied 115,000 individuals (ages 18-67) in Norway who used prescribed opioids for more than three months between 2011 and 2019. These individuals had no prior history of substance use disorder. The researchers found that among these individuals, just over 6,000 (around 5 percent) were diagnosed with a substance use disorder after using prescribed opioids for an extended period. Substance use disorders related to alcohol, opioids, and other addictive medications were common.
Individuals with low socioeconomic status, previously diagnosed mental disorders, or prior use of other addictive medications had a higher risk of being diagnosed with a substance use disorder after long-term use of prescribed opioids. Additionally, men and individuals in the younger age group (18-44 years) had a higher risk of being diagnosed with a substance use disorder.
The findings indicate that it is important for prescribing physicians to carefully weigh the risk of addiction against the need to treat patients with long-term, non-cancer-related pain with opioids over longer periods. The study highlights the socioeconomic and clinical factors that should be considered in this assessment.
Contact:
Ingvild Odsbu, email: Ingvild.Odsbu@fhi.no
Svetlana Skurtveit, email: SvetlanaOndrasova.Skurtveit@fhi.no
Referance:
Nestvold HH, Haarr E, Hamina A, Hjellvik V, Skurtveit S, Odsbu I. Incidence of and Determinants for Substance Use Disorders Among Individuals With Long-Term Prescription Opioid Use: A Population-Based Cohort Study. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2025 Sep;34(9):e70212. doi: 10.1002/pds.70212.