Painkillers such as morphine, codeine, oxycodone and tramadol are opioids. They are commonly prescribed for postoperative and other types of acute pain. Your doctor or dentist may have given you a prescription for one.

Pain relief is invaluable, especially after surgeries or catastrophic accidents, but opioid use also comes with the risks of misuse, dependence, increased tolerance, overdose, hospitalization and death.

Researchers wondered, are their painkilling properties always worth it?

“Oral opioids did not provide significant or lasting pain relief... for the majority of acute pain conditions, with pain relief typically lasting only a few hours.”

“Persistent opioid use can develop quickly following first time use, sometimes within days, and can arise from regular use for acute pain,” Stephanie Mathieson, a senior research fellow at the University of Sydney and co-first author of a study examining the issue.

A team led by researchers at the University of Sydney analyzed data from 59 studies looking at 50 acute pain conditions in both children and adults. They found that opioids provided only minimal, short-term relief of some acute pain conditions like stomach pain, dental surgery, ear surgery, traumatic limb pain, postpartum pain, pain following a Caesarean section and pain following bunion removal.

Opioids were inconsistently beneficial over time for heart-related pain, pain following removal of a woman's uterus (hysterectomy) and as a topical treatment for dermatological pain. They were not better compared to placebos for pain relief following some limb surgeries, kidney stone pain, pain following tonsil removal (tonsillectomy) and pain in newborns on assisted breathing devices.

“Oral opioids did not provide significant or lasting pain relief compared to placebo for the majority of acute pain conditions, with pain relief typically lasting only a few hours,” co-lead author, Christina Abdel Shaheed, an associate professor at the University of Sydney, said in a statement.

Pain relief is invaluable, especially after surgeries or catastrophic accidents, but opioid use also comes with the risks of misuse, dependence, increased tolerance, overdose, hospitalization and death.

When taken for acute muscle pain, pain from broken limbs and some surgeries, opioids came with an increased risk of side effects such as nausea and vomiting compared to a placebo. Because side effects are likely to be underreported, the researchers believe the real risks associated with opioid use may be underestimated, and safer and more effective alternatives for pain management are needed.

The study is published in the journal, Drugs.