ABSTRACT
The risk of long-term use of an opioid initially prescribed to manage acute pain in the short term may correlate better with psychological factors such as depression rather than duration of the pain. In hospital it is known that the combination of opioid with any sedative medication will increase the risk of opioid-induced ventilatory impairment. This combination has also been shown to increase the risk of death in patients with chronic noncancer pain and those using opioids for nonmedical purposes. The effects of opioid medication on driving and driving risks have been studied in detail and many countries have guidelines relating to driving and opioid medications. The intensity of acute pain both in and after discharge from hospital is likely to vary according to the degree of activity, and should decrease as the patient recovers. Therefore, the dose of opioid that is to be needed by the patient may vary within each day and should be decreasing with time overall.
