A large percentage of people who seek treatment for substance or alcohol use disorder also have other mental health disorders on board, such as depression or anxiety. When this is the case, it is referred to as having a co-occurring disorder, and successful recovery hinges on treating both. What’s more, people’s depression or anxiety may play a part in people forming an addiction.
In fact, new research suggests that people living with high levels of depression or anxiety, and experience chronic lower back pain, are significantly more prone to developing a problem with prescription opioids, Medical News Today reports. People with chronic lower back pain and high levels of depression or anxiety were 75 percent more likely to abuse opioids than people with low levels, and their back pain was less likely to improve.
The researchers involved in the study examined 55 patients with chronic lower back, as well as major or minor levels of anxiety or depression, according to the article. Over the course of 6-months, the patients were given oral forms of morphine, oxycodone or a placebo. The patient’s pain levels and the amount of drugs taken were recorded daily.
There was 50 percent less improvement and 75 percent more opioid abuse among patients who had high levels of depression or anxiety, compared with patients with low levels. The findings suggest that doctors treating patients with lower back pain, who show symptoms of mental illness, should make sure that the mental illness is being treated rather than “refusing to prescribe opioids,” according to lead researcher Prof. Ajay Wasan, at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. This may reduce the likelihood of opioid abuse and reduce pain.
“High levels of depression and anxiety are common in patients with chronic lower back pain,” Wasan said in a news release. “Learning that we are able to better predict treatment success or failure by identifying patients with these conditions is significant. This is particularly important for controlled substances such as opioids, where if not prescribed judiciously, patients are exposed to unnecessary risks and a real chance of harm, including addiction or serious side effects.”
The study is published in Anesthesiology.
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If you or a loved one is struggling with opioid addiction and depression or anxiety, please contact Pace Recovery Center.
