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Opioid Treatment for Chronic Back Pain and Its Association with Addiction
- Bridget A. Martell, MD, MA;
- William C. Becker, MD; and
- David A. Fiellin, MD
- From Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520.
IN RESPONSE:
We agree with Ms. Noble and Dr. Schoelles that it is unfortunate that there are not more high-quality studies of the abuse or addiction risk of prescribed opioids. We believe that we pointed out the concerning methodological limitations in our paper. We agree with Dr. DuPont and colleagues that, given our understanding of addictive processes and opioids, it is essential to evaluate pharmaceutical opioids for their effect on the brain's reward systems and their likelihood to induce syndromes that would result in abuse or addiction. Clinicians should know …
