Addictive opioids are sometimes being prescribed to patients in the emergency room, but what is the right dosage? This is what a new Canadian study is focusing on and according to one of the researchers we spoke with, the findings can be an ‘eye opener’.
“Many people fall into opioid addiction and it begins with opioid prescriptions,” said Dr. Eddy Lang, professor and department head of emergency medicine at the University of Calgary.
Lang is one of the authors of the study. He tells CityNews that overprescribing opioid medications through physicians can lead to substance misuse.
“This paper allows us to be more precise and to prescribe what exactly is the right dose or the right number of pills to prescribe and provides guidance based on what the condition is,” he explained.
Dr. Steven Fisher, an ER physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital added, “It’s nice to see sort of this new paper validating some of those shorter times, even as maybe only 20 pills for a fracture condition and that’s in line of what I’ve been prescribing.”
The study also provides insight into how patients actually use what they’re prescribed in the ER, with two-thirds of the prescribed opioids not being used.
“This is going to change my practice and I will be giving much shorter duration of opioid treatment when I must use it,” said Dr. Lang.
The study comes as Alberta’s opioid addiction continues to be a deadly crisis with Edmonton leading the province in opioid-related deaths.
According to the most recent data published by the province, an additional 49 opioid-related deaths were recorded in Edmonton in March, bringing the total number to 148.
In a statement to CityNews, the Ministry of Mental Health says “Opioid-related deaths for the first three months of 2024 were 22 per cent lower compared with the first three months of 2023.” Adding, “This gives us reason to be ‘cautiously optimistic.’ in 2023, alberta reached a record high with 1,867 opioid-related deaths.
But Dr. Lang says prescribed opioids are not alone in what’s driving those deaths.
“The opioid crisis leading to death only partly to blame on prescription opioids. It’s really mostly about the legal substances that are coming into the province.”
While the province says they continue to support a system in which anyone suffering from addiction can pursue recovery, Alberta doctors are calling for more support.
“Detox centres which we’re lacking right now in terms of spaces and availability and accessibility for these patients. Things like save consumption which there’s a big push to try to get away from that but they do save lives,” said Dr. Fisher.
