Almost Half of Chronic Opioid Users Weaned Completely Within Two Years, WCRIB Reports

Nearly half of workers injured in California in 2013 and 2014 who reached chronic opioid status were completely weaned off the drugs within a two-year period, the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau said in a new study. And injured workers who did not completely wean off opioids during the two-year study period still reduced their dosage by an average of 52%, according to the report. Opioid use in California’s workers’ compensation system has been falling since 2012, but narcotic painkillers still account for a large portion of pharmaceutical costs. The WCIRB...