Out of 1,245,211 adults who underwent surgery in Sweden between 2018 and 2022, exactly 35,132 patients continued collecting opioids months later.
That figure comes from a thesis by Claes Gedda at the Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd Hospital, Karolinska Institutet. The research investigates surgical opioid patterns through a public defense scheduled for December 4, 2026, under the supervision of Mattias Soop at the Department of Clinical Sciences at Danderyd Hospital.
That 2.82 percent continuation rate translates to roughly 7,000 individuals annually in Sweden who keep filling prescriptions long after normal recovery. Risk factors identified in the study include older age, greater comorbidity, a recent cancer diagnosis, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and alcohol or drug problems.
Emergency procedures also drove up the likelihood of prolonged dependence. Postoperative prescriptions written during the first week added to that risk.
Our results show that part of the risk can be identified even before surgery. At the same time, post-operative prescribing is a factor that the healthcare system can actually influence
Claes Gedda, Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd Hospital, Karolinska Institute
A separate study tracked 842 patients undergoing major colon and rectal surgery to test whether consumption could be curbed. Clinicians administered opioids strictly on an as-needed schedule rather than fixed intervals, combining them with other analgesics.
That practice cut median opioid consumption by 70 percent over a four-year span. Nearly one out of three patients took zero opioids during their initial six days post-surgery by the end of the observation period.
This shows that it is possible to reduce the amount of opioids used after surgery. However, we do not yet know whether reduced early use also reduces the risk of long-term use. This needs to be investigated further
Claes Gedda, Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd Hospital, Karolinska Institutet
