WEDNESDAY, July 22, 2026 (NewsDay News) — Adding cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or self-management to patient-centered opioid reduction does not improve success at 12 months, according to a study published online July 7. Annals of internal diseases.
Beth D. Darnall, Ph.D., from Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California, and colleagues identified and compared the effectiveness of three opioid reduction and pain management strategies in a randomized controlled trial conducted at 11 US sites in adults with pain for at least six months (non-use of moderate or severe pain). of 10 or higher for at least three months. Patient-centered opioid-only trials were conducted as taper, taper, and cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain (pain-CBT), or taper and chronic pain self-management program (CPSMP; 191, 203, and 168 patients, respectively).
The researchers found that cone success rates were 50.9, 48.6, and 44.5 percent for cone, cone plus simple-CBT, and cone plus CPSMP, respectively. In terms of cone success, no benefit was seen for reduction with CBT or CPSMP reduction over cone alone. The cone-only group had the highest risk of study-related adverse events (including opioid withdrawal symptoms) compared with cone plus pain-CBT and cone plus CPSMP (66 vs. 54 and 64 percent, respectively).
“For patients, I think the data is reassuring that if opioids are tapered in the right way, meaning a patient-centered approach, people can significantly reduce their opioid dosage without increasing long-term pain,” Darnall said in a statement.
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