Opioïden afbouwen in de eerstelijnszorg

• Although opioids are frequently used as treatment for chronic non-cancer related pain, the long term benefits on pain intensity and physical functioning are rather limited.
• Prolonged use of opioids is accompanied by multiple risks and side effects.
• It is important to regularly evaluate the effectiveness and the possibility of tapering of an opioid therapy. Tapering opioid use may improve physical function.
• Structured counselling by a healthcare professional facilitates successful tapering. In most cases, it will be possible to taper opioids in a primary care setting. If the treating physician feels incompetent to manage the tapering process, referral to specialized psychiatric care or a pain specialist can be considered.
• We propose a tapering rate between 10-35% of the previous dose per week in the primary care setting. Both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions can be used to ease the tapering.

Conflict of interest and financial support: none declared.