In 2016, more than 500,000 Medicare beneficiaries received high doses of opioids, many of which exceeded drug manufacturers' recommend prescription amount, according to federal data cited by WXYZ Channel 7.
Here are three things to know:
1. Between 1993 and 2012, hospitalizations linked to opioid overuse saw a fivefold increase among individuals age 46 — the highest increase of any age group, according to a federal survey cited by WXYZ Channel 7.
2. Irene Wu, MD, assistant director of the UCLA Comprehensive Pain Center in Los Angeles, said physician's must take extra caution prescribing opioids to elderly patients.
"I think older patients are more prone to side effects because they metabolize medications much more slowly," she told WXYZ Channel 7. These side effects put elderly patients more at risk for respiratory and cognitive impairment.
3. Dr. Wu said there are many different pain management strategies physicians can use for older patient populations.
"For older patients I think that we should introduce them to what we call multimodal pain management, meaning the use of muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatories — which all have much fewer side effects than the typical opioids may have."
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