Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) ease chronic pain in the back, knees or hips better than opioids, a U.S. experiment suggests.
Opioids were no better than these other drugs at reducing how much pain interfered with daily activities like walking, working, sleeping or enjoying life, researchers reported in JAMA, on March 6.
“We already knew opioids were more dangerous than other treatment options because they put people at risk for accidental death and addiction,” said lead study author Dr. Erin Krebs of the Minneapolis VA Health Care System and the University of Minnesota.
“This study shows that extra risk doesn’t come with any extra benefit,” Krebs said by email.
U.S. deaths from opioids like heroin, oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone have more than quadrupled since 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Today, more than six in 10 drug overdose deaths involve opioids.
The CDC has urged physicians to use opioids as a last resort after talking to patients about how exercise or physical therapy can help ease symptoms, and first prescribing less addictive drugs for pain including acetaminophen (Tylenol) and NSAIDs such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve).
