The Impact of Provider Communication on Prescription Opioid Use: A Case Report

Abstract

Over the past few decades, prescription opioids have greatly impacted our society, providing much needed relief for those in severe pain while simultaneously leading many to develop opioid use disorder. Although the scientific community has made great progress in combating this epidemic, there is still much work to be done. Physicians play a crucial role in this fight, as they are the ones in direct contact with patients. Proper and thorough communication is absolutely necessary when treating patients who are prescribed opioids. In this piece, we describe the case of a 62-year-old woman who experienced debilitating, cyclic opioid withdrawals after years of inappropriate prescription opioid use and how much of her suffering could have been avoided. Her case highlights the importance of patient-provider communication and the willingness of many patients to discontinue opioids.

Keywords:

• Patient-provider communication
• prescription opioids
• opioid withdrawal
• cyclic opioid withdrawal

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the patient for allowing us to share her story.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflict of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.