Patients with chronic pain and abnormal pituitary function require investigation

Abstract

Misuse of opioids is associated with abnormalities of pituitary function. Patients with chronic pain frequently complain of fatigue and undergo endocrine testing. To test whether oral opioid treatment causes abnormal pituitary function we prospectively assessed pituitary function in 37 patients with chronic pain who were receiving either oral opioid analgesia or non-opioid analgesia. Oral opioid treatment was not associated with abnormal pituitary function although a few patients had abnormal results mainly related to obesity. Our results suggest that patients with chronic pain who have abnormal endocrine results should have a complete assessment, since abnormal test results cannot be attributed to their analgesia.