Prescription Opioid Increases Risk for Major Depressive Disorder & Anxiety

The use of prescription opioids may increase the risk for major depressive disorder, anxiety & stress disorders.

A new genetic evidence suggests that the use of prescription opioids increases the risk for psychological disorders like Major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety & stress related disorders (ASRD).

The risk for MDD potentially increases by increased prescription opioid use. This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health

Injecting Opioids May Increase Risk of Bacterial Heart Infection
Intravenous use of hydromorphone, an opioid drug may be linked to increase the risk of infective endocarditis, a serious heart infection, according to a recent retrospective study.

‘The use of prescription opioids increases the risk for psychological disorders like Major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety & stress related disorders (ASRD). It is also recommended to opt for suitable non-opioid alternatives in patients with mood disorder. A screening for MDD is mandatory prior to initiating the opioid therapy’
Read More..

The recommendation suggests using the prescription opioids with caution in patients with mood disorders. It is also recommended to opt for suitable non-opioid alternatives in patients with mood disorder.

A screening for MDD is mandatory prior to initiating the opioid therapy. Many studies suggest that prescription opioids use may have an impact on depression & anxiety disorders.

There is a complex relationship between depression & pain. The researchers performed 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) using summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to assess potential associations of self-reported prescription opioid and nonopioid analgesics, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and acetaminophen-like derivatives use with MDD and ASRD.

Opioids in Pregnancy: Are They Safe?
Researchers suggest that opioids should be used with caution in pregnant women.

The findings of the study show an evidence for potential casual associations between genetic liability for increased prescription opioid use and the risk of developing MDD & ASRD.

"Every medicine has risks, and the risks of chronic opioid treatment are all too apparent. This study simply reinforces [that] we need to be cautious in opioid prescribing — whether or not someone has depression," said Perlis.

Why Do Some Opioid Drugs Cause Severe Itching?
Opioid drugs used for the treatment of pain can cause severe itching because of a receptor MRGRPX2 that can trigger an immune response, reveals study.

He cautioned that the study "can't really distinguish the reason for opioid medication use; so it's at least possible that they're simply confirming the relationship between certain kinds of chronic pain, treated with opioids, and depression."

A 5 fold increase in opioid prescription use was observed over the past 20 years in the United States. It has been recorded that the number of deaths due to the opioid overdosing has increased drastically from 2013 to 2017.

Link Between Low Fitness and Increased Depression Risk Identified
People with low fitness levels experience are nearly twice as likely to experience depression and have a 60% greater chance of anxiety.

Before prescribing opioids to the patients it is very important to evaluate the treatment’s risk and benefits. Opioids alleviate pain but chronic use is associated with a plethora of adverse effects like immuonosuppression, natural reward processes dysregulation & neurohormonal deficits.

It is estimated that approximately 7.8 million adults with psychiatric disorders (primarily MDD and ASRD) receive more than half of almost 200 million yearly opioid prescriptions.

Compared with other patient populations, individuals with psychiatric disorders are also more likely to report long-term opioid use. Hence this study was carried out which elucidated prescription opioid increases risk for Major depressive disorder, anxiety and stress disorders.

Source-Medindia