A Kaiser Permanente study has found that men taking long-acting opioid medications for chronic pain are nearly five times more likely to have low testosterone levels that those taking an equivalent dose of short-acting opioids.
The study, published in the Clinical Journal of Pain, compared the use of short and long acting opioids. This study is the first to show a significant difference in the effects of long-acting and short-acting opioids.
The 81 men who participated in the study were on a stable dose of an opioid medication for at least three months. Seventy-four percent of the men on long-acting opioids had low testosterone levels as compared to 34 percent of the men using short-acting opioids.
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The study, published in the Clinical Journal of Pain, compared the use of short and long acting opioids. This study is the first to show a significant difference in the effects of long-acting and short-acting opioids.
The 81 men who participated in the study were on a stable dose of an opioid medication for at least three months. Seventy-four percent of the men on long-acting opioids had low testosterone levels as compared to 34 percent of the men using short-acting opioids.
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