Introduction — This topic includes links to society and government-sponsored guidelines from selected countries and regions around the world. We will update these links periodically; newer versions of some guidelines may be available on each society's website. Some societies may require users to log in to access their guidelines.
The recommendations in the following guidelines may vary from those that appear in UpToDate topic reviews. Readers who are looking for UpToDate topic reviews should use the UpToDate search box to find the relevant content.
Links related to guidelines are provided separately:
●(See "Society guideline links: Alcohol use disorders and withdrawal".)
●(See "Society guideline links: Cannabis use disorder and withdrawal".)
●(See "Society guideline links: Benzodiazepine use disorder and withdrawal".)
●(See "Society guideline links: Stimulant use disorder and withdrawal".)
International
●World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC): International standards for the treatment of drug use disorders, revised edition incorporating results of field-testing (2020)
●World Federation of Societies of Anesthesiologists (WFSA): Statement on opioids (2019)
●WHO: Guideline on substance use – Community management of opioid overdose (2014)
●World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP): Guidelines for the biological treatment of substance use and related disorders, part 2 − Opioid dependence (2011)
●WHO: Guidelines for the psychosocially assisted pharmacological treatment of opioid dependence (2009)
Canada
●Choosing Wisely Canada: Prolonged use of opioid analgesia beyond the immediate postoperative period or other acute pain episode is not recommended (2020)
●Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse (CRISM): Injectable opioid agonist treatment for opioid use disorder – A national clinical guideline (2019)
●CRISM: National guideline for the clinical management of opioid use disorder (2018)
●Canadian guideline for safe and effective use of opioids for chronic noncancer pain: Clinical summary for family physicians − Part 1: General population (2011)
●Canadian guideline for safe and effective use of opioids for chronic noncancer pain: Clinical summary for family physicians – Part 2: Special populations (2011)
United States
●Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Guideline for prescribing opioids for pain − United States (2022)
●Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM): Consensus statement for management of opioid use disorder and associated conditions among hospitalized adults (2022)
●Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM): Position paper – Medication for adolescents and young adults with opioid use disorder (2021)
●American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) Foundation: Consensus panel recommendations – Ensuring patient protections when tapering opioids (2020)
●American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP): Clinical policy on critical issues related to opioids in adult patients presenting to the emergency department (2020)
●American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM): National practice guideline for the treatment of opioid use disorder, focused update (2020)
●ASAM: Public policy statement on treatment of opioid use disorder in correctional settings (2020)
●US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF): Final recommendation statement on illicit drug use in children, adolescents, and young adults – Primary care-based interventions (2020)
●USPSTF: Final recommendation statement on unhealthy drug use – Screening (2020)
●American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT): Position statement on buprenorphine administration in the emergency department (revised 2019)
●American Urological Association (AUA): Position statement on opioid use (2019)
●National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME): Position paper – Recommendations for the investigation, diagnosis, and certification of deaths related to opioid and other drugs (2019)
●Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): Evidence-based resource guide series – Substance misuse prevention for young adults (2019)
●SAMHSA: Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) on enhancing motivation for change in substance use disorder treatment (2019)
●American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP): A position paper for management of chronic pain and opioid misuse (2017)
●American College of Physicians (ACP): Position paper on health and public policy to facilitate effective prevention and treatment of substance use disorders involving illicit and prescription drugs (2017)
●American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP): Guidelines for responsible, safe, and effective prescription of opioids for chronic non-cancer pain (2017)
●American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): Clinical report on families affected by parental substance use (2016)
●AAP: Clinical report on substance use screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (2016)
●AAP: Policy statement on medication-assisted treatment of adolescents with opioid use disorders (2016)
●ACMT: Position statement on safety issues regarding prescription opioids (2016)
●SAMHSA: Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) on detoxification and substance abuse treatment (2015)
●SAMHSA: Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) on substance abuse treatment – Addressing the specific needs of women (2015)
●SAMHSA: Quick guide for clinicians – Managing chronic pain in adults with or in recovery from substance use disorders (2013)
●SAMHSA: Medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction in opioid treatment programs (2012)
●SAMHSA: Pharmacologic guidelines for treating individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder and co-occurring opioid use disorders (2012)
●American Psychiatric Association (APA): Guideline watch − Practice guideline for the treatment of patients with substance use disorders, 2nd edition (2007)
•APA: Practice guideline for the treatment of patients with substance use disorders, 2nd edition (2006)
United Kingdom
●National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE): Guideline for medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms – Safe prescribing and withdrawal management for adults (2022)
●NICE: Quality standard on drug misuse prevention (2018)
●NICE: Guideline for drug misuse prevention − Targeted interventions (2017)
●NICE: Guideline on coexisting severe mental illness and substance misuse – Community health and social care services (2016)
●NICE: Guideline on controlled drugs − Safe use and management (2016)
●NICE: Quality standard on drug use disorders in adults (2012)
●NICE: Clinical guideline on coexisting severe mental illness (psychosis) and substance misuse − Assessment and management in healthcare settings (2011)
●NICE: Clinical guideline on drug misuse in over 16s − Opioid detoxification (2007)
●NICE: Clinical guideline on drug misuse in over 16s − Psychosocial interventions (2007)
Australia–New Zealand
●Choosing Wisely Australia: Do not deprescribe or stop opioid treatment in a patient with concurrent chronic pain and opioid dependence without considering the impact on morbidity and mortality from discontinuation of opioid medications (2020)
●Choosing Wisely Australia: Use a 'universal precautions' approach for all psychoactive medications that have known potential or liability for abuse including opioids, benzodiazepines, antipsychotic medications, gabapentinoids, cannabinoids, and psychostimulants (2020)
●Choosing Wisely Australia: Avoid prescribing opioids (particularly long-acting opioids) as first-line or monotherapy for chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) (2018)
●Choosing Wisely Australia: Do not continue opioid prescription for chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) without ongoing demonstration of functional benefit, periodic attempts at dose reduction and screening for long-term harms (2018)
●New South Wales (NSW) Ministry of Health: Clinical guidelines – Treatment of opioid dependence (2018)
●Choosing Wisely Australia: Do not prescribe opioids for the treatment of acute or chronic pain without assessing the patient's clinical condition, potential side effects, alternative analgesic options, work status, and capacity to perform safety-critical activities such as driving a motor vehicle (2017)
●Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC): National guidelines for medication-assisted treatment of opioid dependence (2014)
●Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP): Prescription opioid policy – Improving management of chronic non-malignant pain and prevention of problems associated with prescription opioid use (2009)
