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Commonly prescribed painkillers need to be given for shorter periods of time to reduce the risk of obesity and sleep deprivation. Findings show that medications commonly used to treat pain, like gabapentinoids such as gabapentin, pregabilin and opiates, increased the risk of obesity and were associated with poor sleep.
Scientists assessed the cardio-metabolic health – the inter-relationship between metabolic and cardiovascular disease in many participants. Body Mass Index, waist circumference and blood pressure were compared between those taking painkillers for chronic, non-cancer pain and cardio-metabolic drugs, compared to those prescribed cardio-metabolic treatment only. Conditions that can require the use of this treatment include migraine, diabetic neuropathy and chronic lower back pain.
Findings of the new study show people on opiates and cardio-metabolic drugs reported 95% rates of obesity, 82% ‘very high’ waist circumference and 63% hypertension, as opposed to those on cardio-metabolic drugs only. Results suggest that chronic pain medications should be prescribed for shorter periods of time to limit serious health complications. Opioids are recognised as being among the most dangerous prescription painkillers because they are addictive which can lead to them being abused.
Patients can require continuous use of the drugs to feel normal and avoid symptoms of withdrawal.
In the last decade, the number prescribed has doubled and long-term use has become increasingly controversial as the medication causes sleep disorders, daytime sedation and accidental overdose.
There are a number of possible reasons why opioids can be associated with significant weight gain and obesity. For example, they can act as a sedative which makes patients less active and they have been shown to alter taste perception with a craving for sugar and sweet foods. Opioids are also known to worsen snoring and untreated sleep apnea, as well as causing problems with nocturnal hypertension.
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