Opioid painkillers have been invaluable in treating acute pain after injury and surgery for hundreds of years. (Opiates and synthetic opioids are frequently referred to as “narcotics,” which is actually a legal term not a medical one.)
Opioids allow medical professionals to provide comfort to terminally ill patients and patients suffering from cancer and other painful conditions. They are a vital and irreplaceable important component of “palliative care.” But physicians are increasingly divided about the use of opioids in the treatment of chronic pain.
Before the 1960s and 1970s when pain was regarded as a purely physiological occurrence and before multidisciplinary [practices] developed, opioids were often prescribed for relief of pain despite their addictive potential. As problems with addiction and diversion surfaced, regulations were put in place to restrict the use of opioids and tighten their control.
In the 1990s, the pendulum swung back, thanks to popular new opioids like OxyContin, online drug sales, and high-level marketing by drug companies. In the 1990s, opioids began to be prescribed “for a new use: treating long-term pain from back injuries, headaches, arthritis, and conditions like fibromyalgia” (Meier 2013).
