Post-surgical opioids can, paradoxically, lead to chronic pain

(University of Colorado at Boulder) Giving opioids to animals to quell pain after surgery prolongs pain for three weeks and primes specialized immune cells in the spinal cord to be more reactive to pain, according to a new study by the University of Colorado Boulder. The authors say the paradoxical findings could add a new wrinkle to the conversation about the national opioid epidemic.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2H3FzjZ