Canadian doctors writing more opioid prescriptions, but patients get fewer doses

A new report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information says the number of prescriptions filled for opioid medications has been rising in Canada.
In a report released today, CIHI found the overall number of prescriptions for opioids increased by 6.8 per cent between 2012 and 2016. During the same period, the number of defined daily doses decreased by 4.9 per cent. Prescription opioids include codeine, oxycodone, morphine and fentanyl. The rate of their use for treating pain has come under