Summary: Pain relief after surgery is an important part of the recovery process. Yet, millions of Americans report having used opioid prescription painkillers for nonmedical purposes at least once in their lives. No one disputes that opioid abuse is a problem, but what people may not know is it can start in a post-surgical setting. A New York City Department of Health study (reported in JAMA in June 2013) found that newly prescribed opioids after short-stay surgery are associated with a 44 percent increase in risk of becoming a long-term opioid user within 1 year. In July 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more woman die from prescription medications than from car crashes. The study found that roughly 42 women in the U.S. die each day from prescription drug overdoses, like opioid painkillers such as Oxycontin or Vicodin. Since 1999, the percentage increase in deaths among women was more than 400 percent compared to 265 percent in men.
