Lipocalin-2 perpetuates postoperative and post-infectious neuroinflammation and anxiety-like behavior.

Postsurgical opioid prescribing, while intended to manage acute surgical pain, is associated with considerable risk for prolonged opioid use beyond the expected recovery period, and approximately 6% of previously opioid‐naïve patients are prescribed opioids beyond 90 days after surgery [, , , ]. Given the risks associated with long‐term opioid prescribing, including dependence, overdose, and reduced functional recovery, policymakers have implemented prescribing regulations to mitigate opioid‐related harms [, , , , , , , , ]. Federally, the 2016 CDC guidelines for opioid prescribing represented a landmark effort to curb opioid misuse and overdose deaths []. The guidelines recommend using the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration necessary, typically not more than 3–7 days for acute pain []. They emphasize the importance of nonopioid therapies and caution against the use of opioids for chronic pain, except in specific cases such as cancer treatment, palliative care, and end‐of‐life care [, ]. Studies have found that the CDC guidelines led to a decrease in opioid prescribing []. Within Washington State, several policy interventions were implemented to address opioid prescribing practices over the past decades [, , ]. More recently, the Washington State Department of Health convened a multidisciplinary task force with representatives from various medical authorities to develop standardized postoperative opioid prescribing rules []. These state rules established a consistent 14‐day maximum supply for postoperative opioid prescriptions [, , , ]. While prescribers could exceed this limit when clinically necessary, they were required to document their justification in the patient's medical record, balancing standardization with clinical judgment. These state rules were partly published in October 2018 and became effective for all providers in January 2019 [, , , ].