New Data Shows Older Americans Are Concerned About Taking Opioids to Manage Pain After Surgery

A poll conducted by Reader's Digest and Choices Matter found about 33 percent of seniors prescribed opioids kept any unused pills at home, making them available for potential abuse. Seventy percent of respondents believed opioids are often overprescribed, but almost 40 percent said they used their leftover pills for conditions they were not originally prescribed to treat. A study from the Substance and Mental Health Services Administration indicated that Medicare enrollees are the fastest growing population with opioid use disorders. According to the Choices Matter survey, about 43 percent of respondents said they would take non-opioid options to manage pain following surgery, and 82 percent concurred that seniors and doctors require more access to opioid alternatives. About 33 percent admitted to a lack of knowledge about non-opioid options. "It is imperative that healthcare practitioners be more cognizant of their prescribing habits and, along with their customers, become educated on effective non-opioid pain management options for use before, during, and after surgery," said orthopaedic spine surgeon Alok Sharan.