Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42097637›Full record

SynthesisThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2026

Impact of treatment duration on the effectiveness of opioid analgesia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Liesbeth S Froentjes, Catherine Am Barrington, Rodger A Craig, Mareiz Morcos, Dawn M Wedman, Christina S Korowynk, Michael D Kelmer, Farah N Campbell, Scott R Garrison

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Liesbeth S FroentjesSchool of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-7568-4601
Catherine Am BarringtonDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Covenant Healthcare College of Medicine, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, US.
Rodger A CraigDepartment of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-8161-3850
Mareiz MorcosFaculty of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
Dawn M WedmanDepartment of Family Practice, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Christina S KorowynkDepartment of Family Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-4953-9392
Michael D KelmerDepartment of Family Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Farah N CampbellDepartment of Family Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Scott R GarrisonDepartment of Family Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada scott.garrison@ualberta.ca.ORCID 0000-0002-7024-2158

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOpioid use can heighten pain perception over time.

aimTo determine whether the effectiveness of opioid analgesia diminishes with treatment duration in those with chronic low back pain or osteoarthritis. DESIGN AND

settingSystematic review of randomised trials comparing opioids with placebo/opioid-minimised pain management strategies in those with chronic low back pain or osteoarthritis.

methodA random-effects meta-analysis using MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, and Scopus databases was undertaken in January 2025. The primary outcome was attainment of clinically important pain relief ('moderate' or ≥30% improvement). The secondary outcome was on-treatment pain (100-point scale). The primary analysis was difference in primary/secondary outcomes across short-term (≤4 weeks), intermediate-term (4-12 weeks), and long-term (≥12 weeks) duration subgroups.

resultsIn total, 27 trials were eligible for inclusion. Clinically important pain relief differed significantly between short-, intermediate-, and long-term treatment durations (

conclusionAlthough opioids likely provide meaningful pain relief over short durations (≤4 weeks), they appear to provide little or no benefit beyond placebo over longer periods, and may worsen pain control beyond 12 weeks.

Indexed as

Analgesics, OpioidChronic PainLow Back PainOsteoarthritisPain ManagementDuration of TherapyHumansPain MeasurementRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicTime FactorsTreatment OutcomeAnalgesics, Opioidchronic painduration of treatmentlow back painopioidsosteoarthritisprimary health care.

Identifiers

PMID42097637
PMCPMC13531503

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.