Opioids, internet pharmacies, self-treated chronic pain, and HIV/AIDS

描述(申请人提供)：由各种健康状况引起的慢性疼痛是非常常见的；对于许多患有残疾状况的人来说，阿片类止痛剂是必要的治疗，因为这类药物是治疗大多数形式疼痛的最有效的药物之一。然而，长期的阿片类药物治疗，特别是在慢性疼痛的情况下，可能会产生负面的健康后果，如阿片类药物耐受性、依赖性、戒断和中毒。这给正在考虑使用阿片类药物治疗患者疼痛的卫生保健提供者造成了困难的情况。此外，对医生充分治疗合法疼痛的限制导致一些患者从替代来源寻求止痛药，如互联网药店。这项建议旨在确定从互联网药店购买阿片类止痛药治疗慢性疼痛的个人特征，以及比较慢性疼痛患者在阿片类药物知识、态度、信念和做法方面的差异。此外，这项研究将确定在从互联网药店购买阿片类镇痛剂的人群中进行纵向研究的可行性。这项横断面研究的数据将为针对慢性疼痛患者的治疗努力提供信息。这项研究还通过为行为科学创建新的组织模式，在学术研究人员和仅聚集在网络空间的有组织的慢性疼痛患者社区之间安排在线研究伙伴关系，进一步促进了NIH路线图的重要目标。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Chronic pain from a variety of health conditions is very common; for many people suffering disabling conditions, opioid analgesics are a necessary treatment since this class of drugs is among the most powerful treatments for most forms of pain. However, long-term opioid treatment, particularly in the setting of chronic pain, can produce negative health consequences such as opioid tolerance, dependence, withdrawal, and intoxication. This has created a difficult situation for health care providers who are considering using opioids to treat their patients for pain. Furthermore, restrictions placed upon physicians to adequately treat legitimate pain have led some patients to seek pain medications from alternate sources, such as Internet pharmacies. This proposal intends to determine the characteristics of individuals who purchase opioid analgesics from Internet pharmacies to treat chronic pain, as well as to compare differences in opioid knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices among patients with chronic pain. Furthermore, this study will determine the feasibility of conducting a longitudinal study in a population who purchase opioid analgesics from Internet pharmacies. Data from this cross-sectional study will inform treatment efforts directed toward patients with chronic pain. This study also furthers the important goals of the NIH Roadmap by creating new organizational models for behavioral science, arranging online partnerships of research between academic investigators and an organized community of chronic pain patients who congregate only in cyberspace.