Conditioned open-label placebos to facilitate opioid reduction in patients with chronic non-cancer pain: study protocol of a randomised controlled trial.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Chronic non-cancer pain presents a global health problem, with a significant increase in opioid prescriptions over recent decades. However, opioid therapy poses risks of adverse events, overdose and non-medical use. As a result, many patients seek to discontinue or reduce their opioid intake. Strategies for opioid tapering often lack efficacy, prompting the investigation of novel approaches like open-label placebo (OLP), that is, the administration of a placebo with full disclosure that it is a placebo. OLP has shown efficacy in chronic non-cancer pain syndromes and has been suggested as a promising candidate for medication tapering. This study aims to assess whether OLPs can enhance the reduction of daily morphine equivalent dose (MED) in chronic non-cancer pain patie

SUBMITTER: Carratta K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12104921 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature