title: The doctor's dilemma: opiate analgesics and chronic pain.
abstract: Opiates are utilized routinely and effectively as a short-term analgesic treatment for a variety of acute pain conditions such as occur following trauma, and for patients with painful terminal diseases such as cancer. Because opiate analgesics are highly addictive substances, their use in the treatment of chronic nonmalignant pain remains controversial.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, 5858 Horton Street, Suite 200, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA. hlf@gallo.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Howard L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Fields
mesh_terms: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid