SynthesisDialogues in clinical neuroscience2017
The prescription opioid epidemic: a review of qualitative studies on the progression from initial use to abuse.
Synthesis in Dialogues in clinical neuroscience, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 58 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
58 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 136 citations in OpenAlex.
- [Recommendations of the second update of the LONTS guidelines : Long-term opioid therapy for chronic noncancer pain].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2020Pooled it
- Opioid prescription patterns in Germany and the global opioid epidemic: Systematic review of available evidence.PloS one · 2019Pooled it
- Comparing intravenous lidocaine and pethidine for pain management in emergency department patients with femoral bone fracture: a randomized controlled trial.BMC anesthesiology · 2024Trial
- Safety and efficacy of low-dose esketamine in laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a prospective, double-blind randomized controlled trial.BMC anesthesiology · 2024Trial
- A pilot randomized clinical trial of mindfulness-oriented recovery enhancement as an adjunct to methadone treatment for people with opioid use disorder and chronic pain: Impact on illicit drug use, health, and well-being.Journal of substance abuse treatment · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Effects of simulated and real opioid withdrawal on delay discounting for opioids and money in people who use fentanyl daily.Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Efficacy and Safety of Esketamine in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Transitions from first drug use to illicit opioid and injection drug use in a multisite rural U.S. cohort of people who use drugs.Harm reduction journal · 2026Article
- Understanding Opioid Use from Retrospective Accounts of Young Adults in Recovery: Motives, Experiences, and Implications for Prevention.Journal of prevention (2022) · 2026Article
- Article
- Non-Medical Opioid Use in Ethiopia: An Exploratory Descriptive Study.Ethiopian journal of health sciences · 2026Article
- Aged mice exhibit faster acquisition of intravenous opioid self-administration with variable effects on intake.Neuropharmacology · 2025Article
- Using an aromatherapy intervention withInternational journal of nursing sciences · 2025Article
- Applications of artificial intelligence in drug discovery for neurological diseases.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2025Review
- Exploring the Lived Experiences of Medication for Opioid use Disorder Treatment: A Qualitative Study among a Crowdsourced Convenience Sample.Community mental health journal · 2025Article
- Commentary With Study Protocol: Implementation and Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) as an Adjunct to Methadone Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder (IMPOWR-MORE).Substance use & addiction journal · 2025Article
- Risk of infections among persons treated with opioids for chronic pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.BMJ open · 2024Article
- Biological sex modulates the efficacy of 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) to mitigate fentanyl demand.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2024Article
- Negative allosteric modulation of CBNeuropharmacology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Most research designed to answer the "why" of the prescription opioid epidemic has relied on structured interviews, which rigidly attempt to capture the complex reasons people use opioids. In contrast this systematic literature review focuses on peer-reviewed studies that have used a qualitative approach to examine the development of an opioid-use disorder from the point of initial exposure. Rather than simply providing a "high," opioids reportedly relieve psychological/emotional problems or provide an escape from life stressors. As use continues, avoidance of withdrawal sickness becomes an overriding concern, with all other benefits playing minor roles in persistent use. These studies indicate that terms used in structured interviews, such as "nontherapeutic use" or variations thereof, poorly capture the complex range of needs opioids satisfy. Both quantitative/structured studies and more qualitative ones, as well as more focused studies, have an important role in better informing prevention and treatment efforts.
Indexed as
Identifiers
29302223PMC5741109W2950410030What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.