Researchers from the University of Sydney led the investigation, which examined the effectiveness and safety of opioid medications such as codeine, morphine, oxycodone, and tramadol. The analysis brought together evidence from 59 systematic reviews covering more than 50 acute pain conditions affecting both children and adults.
Published in the journal Drugs, the review offers the most comprehensive assessment to date of where opioids help, where they do not, and where evidence remains limited.
"Opioids are among the most commonly prescribed treatments for acute pain, however, our review found that they did not provide large or lasting pain relief compared with placebo for the vast majority of acute pain conditions, with pain relief typically lasting only a few hours," said lead author Associate Professor Christina Abdel Shaheed, from the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney.
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