One in three people with chronic pain have difficulty accessing ongoing prescriptions for opioids
- Written by: Ria Hopkins, PhD Candidate, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney
ShutterstockOne in five Australians live with chronic pain lasting three months or more. Common causes include back and neck pain, headache, and joint pain.
Opioid medicines – such as oxycodone, morphine, fentanyl and codeine – are essential medicines and provide relief to many people with this type of pain.
However, opioids can also...