People in need of pain relief after being admitted to A&amp;E should only be given a few opioid medicines to reduce the risk of longer-term addiction, a new study suggests.

It comes as doctors are trying to balance giving the appropriate amount of pain relief while trying to avoid making people long-term users of opioids by prescribing too much.

Researchers examined 2,200 patients with acute pain treated in six emergency departments in Canada.

The patients were all given an opioid prescription when they were sent home and asked to keep a pain medication diary for two weeks.

A recent study of 2,200 patients with acute pain has raised concerns about the excessive prescription of highly addictive opiates{ai:summary}<p>A study suggests that patients in need of pain relief should only be given a few opioid medicines to avoid long-term addiction. Doctors are attempting to strike a balance between providing adequate pain relief and preventing long-term opioid dependency. The study involved 2,200 patients in Canada who were given an opioid prescription and asked to track their medication intake for two weeks. #health</p>

Danger of overprescribed opioids prompts doctors to advise rationing for A&E discharges

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