Clinicians should think twice when prescribing opioids to patients for the first time to relieve pain, migraines or severe coughs. To prevent possible addiction, doctors and pharmacists should err on the side of caution when considering dosages or subsequent refills (J Gen Intern Med 2016 Aug 3. [Epub ahead of print]).
A substantial increase in opioid prescriptions over the past two decades in the United States has gone hand in hand with a significant rise in overdoses and addiction treatment.