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BRUSSELS - BRUSSELS – One in ten Belgians uses strong painkillers such as oxycodone, tramadol and fentanyl. While these are effective painkillers, they carry a high risk of addiction: around 8% of people who come into contact with opioid painkillers become dependent on them. The longer you take them, the higher the risk. In this article, research journalists Laura Dhaese and Marie Borremans focus on the patient's perspective, asking how to overcome an addiction to painkillers and what kind of care is available.

If you are addicted, where can you go? The study shows that people with a painkiller addiction rarely receive the right care. General healthcare pays little attention to addiction, and specific addiction care mainly focuses on users of illegal substances. Furthermore, opioid painkiller addiction has all the characteristics necessary to remain hidden. Through conversations with pain doctors, addiction experts, general practitioners, and people with personal experience of addiction, we identify the issues and search for solutions to improve painkiller policy in Belgium.

Supported
€650 allocated on 16/12/2019
ID:
FPD/2019/1680
Grant:
Pascal Decroos Fund

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