Chronic pain—acute pain that lasts for longer than three months—affects around 1 in 5 people in Europe. The increase in use of strong morphine-type drugs (opioids) for the treatment of chronic pain is an area of much concern, particularly in North America.
Termed an “opioid epidemic,” most developed countries have seen a major increase in opioid prescribing and addiction during the last decade or so. Our latest research assesses how good the evidence is that opioids can help chronic pain effectively, balanced against any harms they can cause.