Study: Over-the-counter meds as good as opiods
By Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times
In an opioid epidemic that currently claims an average of 91 lives per day, there have been many paths to addiction. For some, it started with a fall or a sports injury, a trip to a nearby emergency room and a prescription for a narcotic pain reliever that seemed to work well in the ER.
New research underscores how tragically risky — and unnecessary — such prescribing choices have been.
In a study of patients who showed up to an emergency department with acute pain in their shoulders, arms, hips or legs, researchers found that a cocktail of two non-addictive, over-the-counter drugs relieved pain just as well as — and maybe just a little better than — a trio of opioid pain medications widely prescribed under such circumstances.
Too bad the researchers didn’t include a placebo. It would have clarified just how much of the effect of the painkillers was psychological and not a direct result of the medication. Bad protocol bad results.
Shame on them.