Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Dec 1;50(12):60-63.
doi: 10.1097/01.NURSE.0000694772.54730.b8.

Managing postoperative pain with opioid-sparing therapies

Taylor Barnett  1 , Linda Denke
Affiliations
Review

Managing postoperative pain with opioid-sparing therapies

Taylor Barnett et al. Nursing. .

Abstract

The analgesic properties of opioids make them valuable pharmacologic options for patients with severe post-op pain, but healthcare providers must be cautious due to opioid-related adverse reactions. This article reviews select nonopioid adjuvant and adjunctive medications, as well as select nonpharmacologic therapies, as part of a multimodal approach to postoperative analgesia. The role of nurses in assessing, monitoring, and educating patients is also explored.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Pino CA, Covington M, Wakeman SE. Prescription of opioids for acute pain in opioid naïve patients. UpToDate. 2020. www.uptodate.com.
    1. Savarese JJ, Tabler NG Jr. Multimodal analgesia as an alternative to the risks of opioid monotherapy in surgical pain management. J Healthc Risk Manag. 2017;37(1):24–30.
    1. Portenoy RK, Ahmed E, Keilson YY. Cancer pain management: adjuvant analgesics (coanalgesics). UpToDate. 2020. www.uptodate.com.
    1. National Cancer Institute. Adjunct therapy. www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/adjunct-therapy.
    1. Shafi S, Collinsworth AW, Copeland LA, et al. Association of opioid-related adverse drug events with clinical and cost outcomes among surgical patients in a large integrated health care delivery system. JAMA Surg. 2018;153(8):757–763.

MeSH terms