Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement for Veterans and Military Personnel on Long-Term Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) in reducing chronic pain, opioid use, and related behaviors among past and present U.S. military personnel on long-term opioid therapy.
Results Summary
MORE significantly reduced pain-related functional interference, pain severity, and opioid dose compared to supportive psychotherapy, with a 20.7% reduction in daily opioid dose. It also improved psychiatric symptoms, reduced craving and opioid attentional bias, and enhanced positive affect and therapeutic processes like mindful reinterpretation of pain.
Population
Past and present U.S. military personnel with prescriptions for long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
8 months of follow-up
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | decrease | pain-related functional interference | past and present U.S. military personnel with prescriptions for long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain | - | was superior to supportive psychotherapy in reducing | #1 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | decrease | pain severity | past and present U.S. military personnel with prescriptions for long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain | - | was superior to supportive psychotherapy in reducing | #2 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | decrease | opioid dose | past and present U.S. military personnel with prescriptions for long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain | - | was superior to supportive psychotherapy in reducing | #3 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | decrease | opioid dose | past and present U.S. military personnel with prescriptions for long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain | 20.7% | reduced daily opioid dose by | #4 |
supportive psychotherapy | decrease | opioid dose | past and present U.S. military personnel with prescriptions for long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain | 3.9% | reduced daily opioid dose by | #5 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | decrease | opioid misuse | past and present U.S. military personnel with prescriptions for long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain | - | outperformed supportive psychotherapy for reducing | #6 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | decrease | anhedonia | past and present U.S. military personnel with prescriptions for long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain | - | reduced | #7 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | decrease | pain catastrophizing | past and present U.S. military personnel with prescriptions for long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain | - | reduced | #8 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | decrease | craving | past and present U.S. military personnel with prescriptions for long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain | - | reduced | #9 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | decrease | opioid attentional bias | past and present U.S. military personnel with prescriptions for long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain | - | reduced | #10 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | increase | positive affect | past and present U.S. military personnel with prescriptions for long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain | - | increased | #11 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | neutral | mindful reinterpretation of pain sensations | past and present U.S. military personnel with prescriptions for long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain | - | modulated | #12 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | neutral | nonreactivity | past and present U.S. military personnel with prescriptions for long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain | - | modulated | #13 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | neutral | savoring | past and present U.S. military personnel with prescriptions for long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain | - | modulated | #14 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | neutral | positive attention | past and present U.S. military personnel with prescriptions for long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain | - | modulated | #15 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | neutral | reappraisal | past and present U.S. military personnel with prescriptions for long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain | - | modulated | #16 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | decrease | chronic pain | past and present U.S. military personnel | - | led to sustained decreases in | #17 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | decrease | opioid use | past and present U.S. military personnel | - | led to sustained decreases in | #18 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | decrease | craving | past and present U.S. military personnel | - | led to sustained decreases in | #19 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | decrease | opioid cue reactivity | past and present U.S. military personnel | - | led to sustained decreases in | #20 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | decrease | opioid dose reduction | past and present U.S. military personnel | - | facilitated | #21 |
OBJECTIVE: This randomized clinical trial evaluated the efficacy of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) among past and present U.S. military personnel with prescriptions for long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain. METHODS: In this clinical trial, 230 past and present military personnel with prescriptions for long-term opioid therapy were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to MORE or supportive psychotherapy (initially delivered in person and then via videoconferencing after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic). Primary outcomes were chronic pain, measured by the Brief Pain Inventory, and aberrant drug-related behaviors, measured by the Current Opioid Misuse Measure, through 8 months of follow-up. Opioid dose was a key secondary outcome. Other outcomes included psychiatric symptoms, catastrophizing, positive affect, ecological momentary assessments of opioid craving, and opioid attentional bias. RESULTS: MORE was superior to supportive psychotherapy through the 8-month follow-up in reducing pain-related functional interference, pain severity, and opioid dose. MORE reduced daily opioid dose by 20.7%, compared with a dose reduction of 3.9% with supportive psychotherapy. Although there was no overall between-group difference in opioid misuse, the in-person MORE intervention outperformed supportive psychotherapy for reducing opioid misuse. MORE reduced anhedonia, pain catastrophizing, craving, and opioid attentional bias and increased positive affect to a greater extent than supportive psychotherapy. MORE also modulated therapeutic processes, including mindful reinterpretation of pain sensations, nonreactivity, savoring, positive attention, and reappraisal. CONCLUSIONS: Among past and present U.S. military personnel, MORE led to sustained decreases in chronic pain, opioid use, craving, and opioid cue reactivity. MORE facilitated opioid dose reduction while preserving adequate pain control and preventing mood disturbances, suggesting its utility for safe opioid tapering.