A missing piece of the puzzle: Patient and provider perspectives on opioid use and pain management in inflammatory bowel disease care

The national opioid epidemic continues to impact millions of lives in the United States and contributes to alarming rates of addiction and death.1 Over the last decade, evidence suggests that opioid use may be rising among individuals with chronic gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and disorders, including those with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).2-7 From a patient safety perspective, this is concerning, particularly given the risk of opioid dependence and unintentional overdose, combined with the lack of clinical evidence supporting opioid use to manage non-malignant chronic pain.8,9 Opioid use may also be problematic for IBD patients because long-term opioid use can result in serious detrimental effects on GI function, potentially leading to worsening abdominal pain and a vicious cycle of opioid escalation.10-13