Non-opioid analgesics in contemporary treatment of pain

Abstract

Pain is a symptom of most diseases that can significantly impair the patient's quality of life. In many diseases it is impossible to eliminate the cause of pain therefore the real goal of treatment is the removal of pain as a symptom, by application of analgesics. Contemporary pharmacotherapy employs conventional (opioid and non-opioid analgesics - NSAIDs and paracetamol) and adjuvant analgesics (antiepileptics, antidepressants and others). Analgesic effect of non-opioid analgesics is mainly the consequence of prostaglandin synthesis inhibition. They are effective for pain of mild/moderate intensity. In acute pain there is no difference in efficiency between NSAIDs and paracetamol, so the choice of the drug is individual. In chronic pain, when inflammation is present, NSAIDs are more effective than paracetamol. Long-term use of high doses of NSAIDs is often accompanied by side effects. In order to reduce their frequency, a careful assessment of risk for each patient should be made, a drug with a low risk of certain side effects should be chosen, the dose and duration of treatment should be limited and the possibility of topical application should be considered. The need for long-term use of NSAIDs should be reviewed periodically.

Keywords

• pain
• non-opioid analgesics
• nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - NSAIDs
• paracetamol