Plano, TX, Oct. 17, 2016 – Using opioids to cope with the pain of hernias and other abdominal wall problems may create a whole new set of concerns down the road. Researchers are finding that people who hold off surgery through pain management efforts or control pre-surgical pain with opioids may have more difficulties after surgery.

A recent study looked at outcomes related to 100 hernia patients. Nearly half the patients took opioids to control pain prior to surgery. The other half did not. What researchers ultimately found was that patients who used opioids prior to surgery were likely to require higher doses of morphine after surgery while also requiring longer hospital stays. Other studies have pointed to the possibility of patients becoming addicted to opioids when they are used even for sound medical reasons.

“Opioids and other pain management medications do have their place in treating patients,” says Dr. Nick Nicholson, founder and lead surgeon of Abdominal Surgery Specialists, a part of the Nicholson Clinic for Weight Loss Surgery. “Their use, however, should be extremely limited or avoided if other means of managing pain are present. Holding off hernia repairs in favor of pain management, for example, could open the door to long-term problems related to opioid use.”

While the full implications of using opioids in abdominal repair scenarios remains very much under study, Dr. Nicholson says recent reports shed light on the need for patients and their doctors to tread this path with extreme care.

“Opioids such as morphine are very good at controlling high levels of pain,” says Dr. Nicholson. “But, their use should be highly limited.”

About Abdominal Surgery Specialists
Founded by Dr. Nick Nicholson, one of the country’s leading weight loss surgeons and co-author of “Weight Loss Surgery: The Real Skinny,” Abdominal Surgery Specialists provides patients with a variety of options to treat conditions including gallbladders, hernias, reflux and obesity.