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Some Youths Still Taking Opioids Months After Surgery

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on July 15, 2024.

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, July 15, 2024 -- Many tweens and teens are filling prescriptions for opioids far in advance of surgeries unlikely to be associated with severe pain afterward, a new study says.

Worse, a significant minority continue to fill those opioid prescriptions three to six months after surgery, a sign of possible addiction, researchers found.

“Our study found that these patients are still filling prescriptions that are either not recommended or are in excess of what they may need,” lead researcher Dr. Tori Sutherland, an attending anesthesiologist with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said in a news release.

About 1.4 million young people undergo surgery in the United States each year, and researchers are concerned that these procedures could put them at risk for opioid abuse or addiction.

For the study, researchers analyzed nationwide insurance data on more than 100,000 patients ages 11 to 20 who underwent 22 surgical procedures. These procedures either are commonly performed or are associated with severe pain following the operation.

About 47% of patients filled a prescription for opioids prior to their operation, results show.

Worryingly, 16% of those had a prescription filled up to two weeks prior to surgery for procedures that aren't likely to cause severe postoperative pain, researchers found.

This is “putting young patients at risk for developing persistent (opioid) use throughout their lives as they transition into adulthood,” Sutherland said.

In fact, about 3% of the young patients were still filling opioid prescriptions three to six months following their surgery, researchers found. This indicates persistent opioid use and possible addiction.

Researchers found that severe pain following surgery was not associated with this persistent opioid use.

Instead, patients already suffering from chronic pain were the ones most likely to become persistent users of opioids, researchers found. These patients often underwent procedures involving mild or moderate pain that could be managed with non-narcotic pain relievers.

“We believe this study underscores the need for establishing a standard of care for patients who undergo these procedures,” senior researcher Dr. Scott Hadland, chief of adolescent and young adult medicine at Mass General for Children in Boston, said in a news release.

“Effective pain management is critical and sometimes require opioids, but clinicians also need to make sure they are doing everything possible not to further contribute to the opioid addiction crisis, particularly with young patients,” Hadland added.

The new study was recently published in JAMA Network Open.

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted July 2024

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