“First do no harm”. At ACHE Institute of Houston we strongly believe on providing the best treatment options for our patients. There is a growing number of studies that cannot prove there is population based evidence that chronic opioid pain medication is effective in improving the quality of life of patients suffering with chronic painful conditions. There is a growing number of studies linking the use of opioid pain medication with poor health outcomes including obstructive sleep apnea and death.
On an individual level, we have seen a limited number of patients improve with the use of chronic opioid pain medication, especially when used at low dose to maintain physical capacity and ability to perform daily activities.
Therefore, we will only consider the use of low dose chronic opioid therapy in a limited number of patients that meet our criteria, have a medical condition that warrants its use, that have failed other therapies we offer and show a progressive improvement in functional capacity and quality of life due to the use of opioids.
