Pain Control in the Critically Ill Patient
Abstract The interplay of pain, anxiety, and delirium makes the achievement of patient comfort in the critically ill challenging. Assessment of pain, anxiety, and delirium is hence central to the…
Recommendations for Pharmacologic Therapy of Neuropathic Pain
Abstract Neuropathic pain is caused by a lesion or disease affecting the somatosensory nervous system. This chapter summarizes the evidence behind the current recommendations for the pharmacotherapy of neuropathic pain,…
Membrane Stabilizers
Abstract Membrane stabilizers have a growing role in pain management, both acute and chronic. They have been used for many years to treat painful conditions such as trigeminal neuralgia, complex…
Psychopharmacology for Pain Medicine
Abstract Psychiatric disorders play a critical role in the experience of pain and the development of chronic pain syndromes. About 60% to 80% of patients referred to pain clinics have…
Substance Use Disorders and Detoxification
Abstract The prevalence of substance use disorders in patients with chronic pain is higher than in the general population. The causes and onset of substance use disorders have been difficult…
Legal and Regulatory Issues in Pain Management
Abstract This chapter provides an overview of the policy and legal environments in which practitioners must function when providing treatment for patients with pain, including when the pain is related…
The Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic and Emerging Prescribing Guidelines
Abstract A significant proportion of the population lives with chronic pain, and provision of pain relief is an important duty of health care providers. Optimal pain care utilizes many modalities…
Opioids Used for Mild to Moderate Pain
Abstract The most commonly prescribed opioids in the United States are formulations containing hydrocodone and acetaminophen. Opioids, such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, and codeine, are combined with nonopioid analgesics including aspirin,…
Major Opioids in Pain Management
Abstract This chapter discusses the specifics about major opioids (meperidine, morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydromorphone, methadone, buprenorphine, fentanyl, sufentanil, alfentanil, remifentanil) in pain management and offers important insights into recent developments…
Geriatric Pain
Abstract Shifting population demographics are resulting in a rapidly growing population age 65 and older. As a result, the majority of providers will be exposed to the older adult in…
