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. 2016 May;31(5):486-91.
doi: 10.1007/s11606-016-3586-5. Epub 2016 Jan 25.

Primary Care Patients with Drug Use Report Chronic Pain and Self-Medicate with Alcohol and Other Drugs

Daniel P Alford  1 , Jacqueline S German  2 , Jeffrey H Samet  2   3 , Debbie M Cheng  2   4 , Christine A Lloyd-Travaglini  5 , Richard Saitz  2   3
Affiliations

Primary Care Patients with Drug Use Report Chronic Pain and Self-Medicate with Alcohol and Other Drugs

Daniel P Alford et al. J Gen Intern Med. 2016 May.

Abstract

Background: Chronic pain is common among patients with drug use disorders. The prevalence of chronic pain and its consequences in primary care patients who use drugs is unknown.

Objectives: To examine: 1) the prevalence of chronic pain and pain-related dysfunction among primary care patients who screen positive for drug use, and 2) the prevalence of substance use to self-medicate chronic pain in this population.

Design: This was a cross-sectional analysis.

Participants: This study included 589 adult patients who screened positive for any illicit drug use or prescription drug misuse, recruited from an urban, hospital-based primary care practice.

Main measures: Both pain and pain-related dysfunction were assessed by numeric rating scales, and grouped as: (0) none, (1-3) mild, (4-6) moderate, (7-10) severe. Questions were asked about the use of substances to treat pain.

Key results: Among 589 participants, chronic pain was reported by 87% (95% CI: 84-90%), with 13% mild, 24% moderate and 50% severe. Pain-related dysfunction was reported by 74% (95% CI: 70-78%), with 15% mild, 23% moderate, and 36% severe. Of the 576 that used illicit drugs (i.e., marijuana, cocaine, and/or heroin), 51% reported using to treat pain (95% CI: 47-55% ). Of the 121 with prescription drug misuse, 81% (95% CI: 74-88%) used to treat pain. Of the 265 participants who reported any heavy drinking in the past 3 months, 38% (95% CI: 32-44%) did so to treat pain compared to 79% (95% CI: 68-90%) of the 57 high-risk alcohol users.

Conclusions: Chronic pain and pain-related dysfunction were the norm for primary care patients who screened positive for drug use, with nearly one-third reporting both severe pain and severe pain-related dysfunction. Many patients using illicit drugs, misusing prescription drugs and using alcohol reported doing so in order to self-medicate their pain. Pain needs to be addressed when patients are counseled about their substance use.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00876941.

Keywords: chronic pain; primary care; substance use.

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Conflict of interest statement

Compliance with Ethical Standards Conflicts of Interest The authors declare that they do not have a conflict of interest.

Comment in

References

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