Opiates and elderly: use and side effects
Open accessAbstract
Opiates and elderly: Use and side effects Diane L Chau1, Vanessa Walker2, Latha Pai3, Lwin M Cho4University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, NV, USA 1Division Geriatric Medicine, 2Internal Medicine, 3Psychiatry, 4Geriatric Medicine, Sierra Nevada Healthcare System, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Reno, NV, USAAbstract: The evaluation of pain and the subsequent issue of pain control is a clinical challenge that all healthcare providers face. Pain in the elderly population is especially difficult given the myriad of physiological, pharmacological, and psychological aspects of caring for the geriatric patient. Opiates are the mainstay of pain treatment throughout all age groups but special attention must be paid to the efficacy and side effects of these powerful drugs when prescribing to a population with impaired metabolism, excretion and physical reserve. In a random chart review of 300 US veterans, 44% of those receiving an analgesic also received opioids. The increasing use of opiates for pain management by healthcare practitioners requires that those prescribing opioids be aware of the special considerations for treating the elderly. This article will address the precautions one must take when using opiates in the geriatric population, as well as the side effects and ways to minimize them.Keywords: opiates, pain, elderly, side effects
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As the population ages, pain is bound to have considerable economical and societal impact.
“As the population ages, next to the burden to the individual, pain is bound to have considerable economical and societal impact (230).”
From Exogenous Opioids and the Human Endocrine System: An Endocrine Society Scientific Statement (2024) · cites this paper as [230]
The Introduction reports that pain is common among older adults, but it does not address the economic or societal impact of pain as the population ages. Searches for economic costs and societal burden found no passage addressing that point. (LLM, conf=0.72)
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References 36 · Cited by 383
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- Ferrell BA Managing pain and discomfort in older adults near the end of life Annals of Long-Term Care 2003 12 Presented at the American Geriatrics Society Annual Scientific Meeting May 14, 2003 Baltimore, MD 2 February 2004
- Meier DE Morrison RS Ahronheim JC Duthie EH Jr Katz PR Palliative Care Practice of Geriatrics 1998 3 Philadelphia, PA W.B. Saunders Company
- Authors
- Chau, D.
- Affiliations
- University of Nevada, Reno (US)
- Corresponding author
- Chau, Diane
- Venue
- Clinical Interventions in Aging
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2008-06
- Volume
- Volume 3
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 273-278
- ISSN
- 1176-9092 (ISSN-L)
- 1178-1998
- PMC
- PMC2546472
- OpenAlex
- W2126787676
- Cited by
- 383
- References
- 36
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 32 · 2024: 51 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 38 · 2020: 43 · 2019: 34 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 8
- FWCI
- 0.35
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Clinical Interventions in Aging (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Dove Medical Press (Taylor and Francis Group) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Pain Management and Opioid Use
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Geriatrics and Gerontology › Pharmaceutical Practices and Patient Outcomes
- Keywords
- opioids, elderly patients, geriatric pain management, opioid side effects, opioid prescribing, veterans, analgesic use
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Analgesics, Opioid, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Humans, Pain, Metabolic Detoxication, Phase I
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