Tag: painkiller

Woman in a dark place

The twin goals of prescribing opioids to workers with a bad back or arthritis are to alleviate their pain and keep them employed. But the use and abuse of opioids can cause poor memory, extreme drowsiness, and an inability to engage in normal social interactions – all of which limit workers’ ability to function. Opioids…

Pain in different areas of the body

Opioid painkillers are a double-edged sword for older workers. The medications allow them to keep working through their joint or back pain. But a slide into addiction would interfere with doing their jobs. A new RAND study of workers over age 50 has identified some of the negative consequences of relying on opioids. Rather than…