Table 2 Rates of dependence, substance use disorder, and problematic use in samples of chronic non-cancer pain patients
| Author | Population | Number of studies | Rate calculated | Estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minozzi et al. (2012) | Individuals receiving any opioid analgesic for acute or chronic pain from any physical condition | 17 | Median incidence of dependence |
0.5% (Range: 0%–24%) |
| 17 | Median prevalence of dependence |
4.5% (Range: 0%–31%) | ||
| Morasco et al. (2011) | Chronic non-cancer pain patients, regardless of whether they were prescribed opioids | 21 | Overall prevalence of current substance use disorder | 3–48% |
| 21 | Lifetime prevalence of any substance use disorder | 16%–74% | ||
| Vowles et al. (2015) | Adults with chronic non-cancer pain (≥3 months) using oral opioids | 38 | Rate of problematic use | <1%–81% |
| 29 | Rate of misuse |
21%–29% (95% CI: 13%–38%) | ||
| 1 | Rate of abuse | 8% | ||
| 12 | Rate of addiction |
8%–12% (95% CI: 3%–17%) | ||
| Noble et al. (2008) | Patients treated with opioids for chronic non-cancer pain for at least six months | 7 | Rate of addiction |
0.05% (1 out of 2042 patients) |
| 2 | Rate of abuse |
0.43% (3 out of 685 patients) | ||
| Kalso et al. (2004) | Adult patients with chronic non-cancer pain in randomized controlled trials comparing opioids versus placebo | 15 | Rate of addiction | Estimates could not be calculated due to small sample sizes and short follow-up periods |
| Chou et al. (2015) | Adults with chronic pain prescribed long-term opioid therapy – in primary care | 3 | Prevalence of abuse | 0.6%–8% |
| Prevalence of dependence | 3%–26% | |||
| Adults with chronic pain prescribed long-term opioid therapy – in pain clinics | 7 | Prevalence of misuse | 8%–16% | |
| Prevalence of addiction | 2%–14% |