Large opioid prescriptions are unnecessary after total joint arthroplasty, according to a study in The Journal of Arthroplasty.
The study included opioid-naïve patients who were randomized to receive either 30 or 90 5 milligram oxycodone immediate release pills at discharge. In total, 161 patients were assigned to receive 30 pills and 143 to receive 90 pills.
Three things to know:
1. Within 90 days of discharge, 26.7 percent of the 30 group and 10.5 percent of the 90 group requested a refill.
2. Being prescribed 90 OxyIR pills was associated with taking more OxyIR pills.
3. There was no reported differences in pain scores within the first 30 days and patient-reported outcome scores at six weeks postoperatively. Prescribing fewer OxyIR pills was associated with significantly reduced unused opioid pills and decreased opioid consumption, researchers concluded.