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. 2011 Feb 24;69(4):591-4.
doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2011.02.001.

The doctor's dilemma: opiate analgesics and chronic pain

Howard L Fields  1
Affiliations

The doctor's dilemma: opiate analgesics and chronic pain

Howard L Fields. Neuron. .

Abstract

Opiates are utilized routinely and effectively as a short-term analgesic treatment for a variety of acute pain conditions such as occur following trauma, and for patients with painful terminal diseases such as cancer. Because opiate analgesics are highly addictive substances, their use in the treatment of chronic nonmalignant pain remains controversial.

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