Chronic opioid therapy for non-cancer pain

Opioids are the most potent and effective analgesics available and have become accepted as appropriate treatment for acute and cancer pain. However, there is concern regarding their usage in chronic non-cancer pain because of fears that they are ineffective in the long-term, that their use will lead to a deterioration in the patient’s condition and that the medical prescription of opioids will lead to an increase in their non-medical use within...