The 2016 CDC Opioid Guideline and analgesic prescribing patterns in older adults with cancer

The 2016 CDC Opioid Guideline and analgesic prescribing patterns in older adults with cancer
JAMA Network Open; by Rebecca Rodin, Lihua Li, Karen McKendrick, Krista Harrison, Lauren J. Hunt, Ulrike Muench, Cardinale B. Smith, Melissa D. Aldridge, R. Sean Morrison; 5/25
In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published guidelines cautioning against prescribing opioids for chronic noncancer pain. In this cohort study of older adults with cancer, the 2016 CDC guideline was associated with a decline in first-line opioids while less-safe tramadol and less-effective gabapentinoid prescribing continued to rise. Further revision of the recent 2022 CDC guideline and oncology pain management guidelines may be needed to help address these potentially inappropriate analgesic shifts.