Pre-Existing PTSD Increases Risk for Developing an Opioid Use Disorder

Clinicians should be especially cautious when prescribing opioid painkillers to patients with high levels of arousal and reactivity.

Rates of opioid use disorder (OUD) and deaths from overdose have been rising in the last 10 years, driven largely by opioid prescribing. Identifying risk factors for OUD development is imperative. Higher rates and severity of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are observed in individuals with OUD, and higher rates and severity of OUD are seen in individuals with PTSD. To investigate how PTSD may affect risk for OUD, researchers used U.S. national epidemiological survey data to identify all 4090 respondents who reported having used opioid painkillers (e.g., methadone, codeine, opium, or morphine) in their lifetime.

Within this cohort, 302 respondents reported PTSD episodes that preceded the first painkiller use. Using a rigorous propensity…

Reviewing Author

Claire Wilcox, MD

Disclosures

EquityMannkind Corporation

Grant/Research SupportNIH

Claire Wilcox, MD

Disclosures

EquityMannkind Corporation

Grant/Research SupportNIH

Pre-Existing PTSD Increases Risk for Developing an Opioid Use Disorder

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Reviewing Author