title: Treating chronic pain: the need for non-opioid options.
abstract: Chronic pain is a prevalent problem that exacts a significant toll on society. The medical system has responded to this issue by implementing pain management services centered on opioid pharmacotherapy. However, for many chronic pain patients, the analgesic efficacy of long-term opioids is limited. Moreover, chronic exposure to opioids can result in opioid misuse, addiction, and risk of overdose. As such, non-opioid treatment options are needed. This article first provides a selective review of cognitive, affective, and psychophysiological mechanisms implicated in chronic pain to be targeted by novel non-opioid treatments. Next, it briefly details one such treatment approach, Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement, and describes evidence suggesting that this intervention can disrupt the risk chain linking chronic pain to prescription opioid misuse.
authors.affiliation: Integrative Medicine, Supportive Oncology Program, Huntsman Cancer Institute, 395 South, 1500 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
authors.forename: Eric L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Garland
mesh_terms: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D062787:Drug Overdose; D006801:Humans; D064866:Mindfulness / Q000379:methods*; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control; D063487:Prescription Drug Misuse / Q000009:adverse effects; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid
keywords: addiction; chronic pain; mindfulness; neurocognitive; opioid misuse