Rightly so. No one postulates that an opioid is going to change the six week pain rating for anything acute. They could have run the same study for a broken arm or a heart attack. “Researchers found that the level of chest pain 6 weeks after a heart attack was the same between a placebo group and a morphine group used for acute chest pain. The difference being that the first 48 hours was hell on earth for the placebo group, while the morphine group actually wanted to continue living.”
How moronic. Essentially a straw man study design.
Doctor: wow, That’s a nasty broken arm you have there.
Patient: Doc, can you give me anything for pain?
Doctor: Studies show that in 6 weeks whether I give you pain medicine now or a placebo, you arm is going to feel the about the same, so here, suck on some rocks.
“the first 48 hours was hell on earth for the placebo group, while the morphine group actually wanted to continue living.”
I think you have pointed out the real flaw in the study.
.. Your point about the broken arm very clear.
6 weeks later it won’t matter if you had pain relief or not the 1st day ... but that 2end day may be a little tough.
They must have a new wonder drug in the wings just waiting to be pushed out on to the public. Some thing with a really good profit margin.