Opioid Narcotics Use Before Knee Replacement Surgery Results in Less Pain Relief Afterward
An interesting article in the May Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery found that those who took opioids (narcotics such as hydrocodone found in Norco and Vicodin) had less pain relief after surgery. This is yet one more reason to avoid these drugs, the use of which has greatly increased in recent years. Side effects such as respiratory depression, severe constipation, and even death have increased.
