Despite FDA warnings regarding the risk for adverse effects from administering long-acting opioids to patients who had not developed opioid tolerance through prior usage, the initiation of potent long-acting fentanyl patches (Duragesic, Janssen) without first receiving an opioid analgesic persists for these residents (J Am Geriatr Soc 2016;64:1772-1778).
Of 12,278 long-stay Medicare-enrolled nursing home residents who were prescribed long-acting opioids within 30 days of admission in 2011, 9.4%