People who use opioids for 30 days or more in an effort to treat pain could be increasing their risk of developing depression, according to a new study.

As reported by the Pain News Network ("Long Term Opioid Use May Cause Depression" – January 14, 2016), a study published in the Annals of Family Medicine analyzed data from more than 100,000 patients, who had not been diagnosed with depression prior to being prescribed opioid treatment. "About 10% of them developed depression after using opioids for more than 30 days."

Other recent research has examined the dangerous amounts of opioids being prescribed.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that the United States is in the midst of a "prescription painkiller overdose epidemic" and recommends safe alternatives like physical therapy for most pain management.

The American Physical Therapy Association launched a national campaign to raise awareness about the risks of opioids and the safe alternative of physical therapy for long-term pain management. Learn more at our Safe Pain Management page.

Related Resources:

• Avoid Addictive Opioids. Choose Physical Therapy for Safe Pain Management
• Health Center on Opioid Use for Pain Management
• Physical Therapy vs Opioids: When to Choose Physical Therapy for Pain Management
• CDC Recommends Physical Therapy and Other Nondrug Options for Chronic Pain
• Widespread Pain is Creating Widespread Prescription Drug Use
• Health Center on Pain

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