Meta-Analysis of Opioids for Chronic Noncancer Pain

This JAMA study showed what pain patients have always known, that the “use of opioids compared with placebo was associated with significantly less pain” and “significantly improved physical functioning”.

However, because the “magnitude of the association was small”, the anti-opioid zealots inspired a media circus trumpeting that pain relief from opioids was negligible. (Let’s see how they feel after they wake up from surgery without opioids.)

Below is the abstract of the study itself and then a clear and reasonable analysis of the results by Pat Anston, editor of Pain News Network.