Opioid consumption and prescription in Brazil: integrative review

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In the past twenty years, the number of deaths caused by opioid overdose has tripled in the United States. There is, in literature, a scarcity of up-to-date evidence regarding opioids consumption in the Brazilian scenario. The objectives of this study was to know, through a literary review, the pattern of opioid analgesics consumption in Brazil. METHODS: An integrative review of the literature, performed in the PubMed, BVS and Scielo databases from August 30 to October 22, 2020. The search strategy included the following terms, “Opioid-related disorders” or “Opioid epidemic” or “Opioid analgesics” and “Brazil”. Inclusion criteria: published in the last five years; studies on humans. Exclusion criteria: studies not related to the objective of this review; letters, editorials, commentaries and secondary studies. RESULTS: The results showed patients’ dissatisfaction with pain management when compared to patients from developed countries, the lack of knowledge and adequate public policies on the use of opioids among health professionals make them view opioids as the last treatment alternative. The practice of analgesic self-medication is frequent in patients with chronic diseases, which may be the cause of the low prescription of opioid analgesics by health professionals. CONCLUSION: It is noteworthy that there is a lack of data related to the prescription and use of opioids in Brazil. Further studies should be conducted to assess the use of opioids in general medical practice.