But it’s a continuing area of research, and experts aren’t entirely clear on how many patients who first receive an opioid prescription after surgery become dependent or addicted to them. Hydrocodone pills are among the most common opioids prescribed to patients after a surgical procedure. Experts say unused pills can end up in the hands of adolescents, family members or friends or on the black market. Dr. Barth says he know that opioids prescribed to postsurgical patients are just one factor of the opioid epidemic. Click to Read StoryWhich Heart Patients Need Stents?

Source: Wall Street Journal January 29, 2018 14:35 UTC