It is true that the 2015 Coventry/First Script Drug Trends Analysis showed a decline in overall opioid utilization and an increase in non-opioid drugs that may be used for pain. Opioids are often prescribed for moderate-to-severe pain, and while opioids can be very effective medications, they can also be associated with potential negative effects including the potential for abuse and addiction. The shift away from opioids to the use of more non-opioid alternative medications for pain has likely been contributed to by increased prescriber and patient awareness of the nation's opioid epidemic and the risks surrounding this therapeutic class, growing regulations and prescribing guideline reforms, and enhanced clinical oversight efforts by pharmacy benefit managers and other managed care entities.