# Substance Use and Anxiety About Pain Among Patients Seeking Abortion Services

## TL;DR

This study explores how recent use of opioids, marijuana, and cannabidiol affects anxiety about pain in patients seeking abortion services.

## Contribution

The study identifies a potential link between recent opioid use and increased anxiety about pain during and after abortion procedures.

## Key findings

- Recent opioid users reported higher anxiety scores for pain during abortion compared to non-users.
- Recent opioid users had significantly higher anxiety scores for pain after abortion compared to non-users.
- Marijuana and cannabidiol use did not significantly affect anxiety scores compared to non-users.

## Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate how recent opioid, marijuana, and cannabidiol use affects pre-procedure pain-related anxiety for patients seeking abortion.

Methods: We conducted a prospective, cross-sectional anonymous survey of patients seeking abortion assessing recent substance use and anxiety about pain during and after abortion. We compared substance users' and non-users' anxiety scores.

Results: Among 217 participants, recent opioid users (5.3%) had higher median anxiety scores for pain during (7.0 vs 6.0; p=0.33) and after (8.0 vs 6.0; p=0.01) abortion than non-opioid users. Anxiety scores were similar for marijuana and cannabidiol users.

Conclusions: Assessing recent opioid use may help guide counseling for anxiety about abortion.