Study: Opioid dose variability may be a risk factor for opioid overdose

(Kaiser Permanente) Patients prescribed opioid pain medications whose doses varied over time were three times more likely to experience an overdose than patients prescribed stable opioid doses, according to an observational study from Kaiser Permanente published today in JAMA Network Open. The study also showed that patients who discontinued long-term opioid therapy for three or more months had half the risk of opioid overdose.