Prescription Opioid Use for Low Back Pain associated with Erectile Dysfunction.

Prescription Opioids for Back Pain and Use of Medications for Erectile Dysfunction.

Spine: 15 May 2013 - Volume 38 - Issue 11 - p 909–915. Deyo, Richard A. MD, MPH^*; Smith, David H. M. PhD, RPh^†; Johnson, Eric S. PhD^†; Tillotson, Carrie J. MPH^‡; Donovan, Marilee PhD, RN^†; Yang, Xiuhai MS^†; Petrik, Amanda MS^†; Morasco, Benjamin J. PhD^§; Dobscha, Steven K. MD^§

^{It is said that most healthcare decisions in families are made by women. This is what I hear day in, day out, in my private practice. "Doc, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for my wife". In fact, many of my male patients initial appointments are made by their spouses.}

^{Low Back Pain Statistics:}

Low back pain is the single leading cause of disability worldwide, according to the Global Burden of Disease 2010.
One-half of all working Americans admit to having back pain symptoms each year.
Back pain is one of the most common reasons for missed work. In fact, back pain is the second most common reason for visits to the doctor’s office, outnumbered only by upper-respiratory infections.
Most cases of back pain are mechanical or non-organic—meaning they are not caused by serious conditions, such as inflammatory arthritis, infection, fracture or cancer.
Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on back pain—and that’s just for the more easily identified costs.
Experts estimate that as many as 80% of the population will experience a back problem at some time in our lives.

^{Prescription Opioid Narcotics, also known as "Pain Killers" are on the rise. These are available by prescription only and are also readily available on the street. Common Opioid Narcotics: Morphine, Codeine, Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, Methadone, Fentanyl, etc.}

^{Initially intended for acute trauma, post-surgical pain and for terminally ill cancer patients, opioids have since been prescribed for}^{chronic non-cancer pain conditions, without medical evidence that these powerful narcotics were either effective or safe for use in the long-run. The result is that we have a rapidly escalating epidemic of death and addiction, and pain patients with often reduced pain relief and various side effects over time.}

^{A recent article in the journal Spine found an association between usage of Opioids for pain relief and increased use of those patients for medications for Erectile Dysfunction and Testosterone Replacement Therapy.}

In this study, there were 11,327 males with a diagnosis of back pain. Patients prescribed daily opioid doses of 120 mg of morphine-equivalents or more had greater use of medication for erectile dysfunction or testosterone replacement than patients without opioid use (odds ratio, 1.58; 95% confidence interval, 1.03–2.43), even with adjustment for the duration of opioid therapy.

Author

Dr. Rommel Hindocha, D.C. QME Dr. Rommel Hindocha, QME, is a licensed chiropractor and provides spine health and sports rehabilitation treatments to patients in the greater Burlingame, California, area. Dedicated to helping patients live pain-free lives, Dr. Hindocha continues to research and employ the latest proven treatment options for chronic and acute pain and is certified by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners.

You Might Also Enjoy...

Is the risk of Stillbirth higher with home births vs. hospital births ?

According to the October issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the risk of stillbirth is 10 times higher for homebirths. Researchers at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical Center, who analyzed data on...

Spinal Manipulation vs. Diclofenac for Acute Low Back Pain

A recent article in Spine Journal, one of the most renown Scientific Journals for Spinal Disorders, compared the effects of Spinal Manipulation, high velocity low amplitude thrust, vs. Diclofenac in a Double Blinded RCT.

Going off the grid: cancelling cable TV.

Cable TV: The "Heroin" of the entertainment world. This is a departure from the usual Blog posts on Health & Medicine but I felt compelled to share my experience of cancelling cable...

For Neck Pain, Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation (Adjustments) superior than Medication

A study in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation yielded superior relief in BOTH the short and long term, for neck complaints.

Back pain improves in first six weeks with treatment but lingering effects at one year.

Good news for Acute Low Back Pain sufferers, more room for improvement for patients with persistent Low Back Pain.

Who is to Blame for Spine Care Costs in the US ?

Back and neck conditions are associated with considerable costs to the US economy both due to direct expenditures on their management and indirect costs from losses in productivity.