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

描述（由申请人提供）：各种健康状况引起的慢性疼痛是非常常见的；对于许多患有残疾的人来说，阿片类镇痛药是一种必要的治疗方法，因为这类药物是大多数形式的疼痛最有效的治疗方法之一。然而，长期阿片类药物治疗，特别是在慢性疼痛的情况下，可产生负面的健康后果，如阿片类药物耐受、依赖、戒断和中毒。这给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局面。此外，对医生适当治疗合法疼痛的限制导致一些患者从其他来源寻求止痛药，如互联网药店。本提案旨在确定从互联网药店购买阿片类镇痛药治疗慢性疼痛的个体特征，并比较慢性疼痛患者在阿片类知识、态度、信念和实践方面的差异。此外，本研究将确定在从互联网药店购买阿片类镇痛药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工作提供信息。本研究还通过创建行为科学的新组织模型，安排学术研究人员和仅在网络空间聚集的有组织的慢性疼痛患者社区之间的在线研究伙伴关系，进一步实现了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.