Opioid tapering outcomes for people with chronic pain and substance use disorder
Official title: Weighting Longitudinal Data to Access Opioid Analgesia Tapering Outcomes among Patients with Co-occurring Chronic Pain and Substance Use Disorder
Funded at Loyola University Chicago · NIH-11364654 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Using medical records from many hospitals, this project looks at what happens when opioids are reduced for people who have chronic pain and also a substance use disorder.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Loyola University Chicago NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Maywood, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $680,457 |
| NIH project number | 4R01DA057658-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11364654 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with documented chronic pain who also have a diagnosed substance use disorder, including opioid use disorder, in their medical records are the focus of this work.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without chronic pain or without any substance use disorder, or those whose care is not captured in the Cerner database, are unlikely to be affected directly by this project.
What this research studies
This project uses electronic health records from a very large U.S. database to better understand what happens when opioids are tapered for people with chronic pain and co-occurring substance use disorder. The team will create statistical weights so small demographic and clinical subgroups are properly represented and outcomes can be estimated more reliably. Researchers will examine whether patients transition to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), use non-drug or multidisciplinary pain treatments, and how pain and functioning change after tapering. The work analyzes existing medical records and does not require in-person visits.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help clinicians choose safer tapering approaches and improve access to MOUD and non-drug pain treatments for people with chronic pain and SUD.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research supports non-opioid and multidisciplinary care for pain, but few large database studies have specifically examined transitions to MOUD or taper outcomes in people with both chronic pain and SUD, so this approach addresses a known gap.
Where this research is happening
-
Loyola University Chicago
Maywood, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Qeadan, Fares — Loyola University Chicago
- Study coordinator: Qeadan, Fares
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.