Norwegian researchers gave healthy volunteers strong painkillers after stress. One finding surprised them.

The volunteers had to sing a cappella before an unsmiling panel, solve nearly impossible mathematics problems under time pressure, and then receive a dose of oxycodone through an intravenous line. Eighty-five healthy Norwegians took part in the experiment voluntarily.

The researchers used the stressful tasks to examine whether stress affects people's intake of strong painkillers. Professor and researcher Siri Leknes said the method of inducing stress is well established in research, although giving participants medication is less common.

The drug used was oxycodone, an opioid that binds to receptors in the brain and nervous system. It reduces pain and can have a calming or sedating effect, but it is also highly addictive and played a central role in the opioid epidemic in the United States.

Oxycodone use has increased sharply in Norway. Hospital use rose 67 percent from 2010 to 2021, while use in primary care increased 87 percent, according to studies cited by Aftenposten. More than 80,000 people collected oxycodone on prescription at least once in the previous year, according to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

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It may sound wild, but stressing people in this way is a very well-known method in research.