Ask for non-opiate meds

Photo: Flickr

Given the ongoing opioid crisis, researchers in the U-S are exploring ways to limit the prescription of these powerful medications.

Researchers randomly assigned patients who came to the emergency room with a sprain, strain or fracture to receive either a standard hospital dose of Advil and Tylenol, or one of three different standard doses of opiates.

All patients reported the same level of pain to begin with -- and all patients reported experiencing an equal level of pain relief one-to-two hours later.

This study -- published in the Journal of the American Medical Association -- is significant because exposure to opioids for pain is frequently the initial exposure which leads to addiction.

Knowing the results of this study, families could ask providers to prescribe non-opiate pain medications.