Pain management depends largely on the treatment goals and overall health condition of a patient. I have used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen for mild to moderate pain. NSAIDs work on the body’s inflammatory response without steroids, which have adverse side effects, including weight gain and osteoporosis. I have used NSAIDs to treat pain resulting from muscle strains, back injuries, and arthritis. Acetaminophen has been a favorable treatment option for patients struggling with arthritis and skin injuries (Tennant, 2019). In order to manage chronic pain, I have used COX-2 inhibitors and opioids. They both reduce the potential side effects associated with NSAIDs. However, apart from all the benefits, they have numerous risks and challenges in administration. Opioid drugs, for example, can lead to the patient’s long-term dependence as they develop tolerance to the specific drug and start requiring higher doses of it (Tennant, 2019). The recent academic review of effective acute pain management conducted by Moore et al. (2018) has concluded that opioids are the most dangerous medicinal option for the treatment of acute pain. Personally, I have only used opioid drugs for patients who struggled with chronic pain. As for myself, I have only used NSAIDs to treat my neck injury, toothaches, and occasional colds.
Medical professionals are required to be well-informed on the efficacy and safety of pain management medications. Ibuprofen and acetaminophen have shown to have the most treatment benefits related to acute pain (Moore at al., 2018). Moore et al. (2018) concluded that oxycodone had the longest duration of action, which made it potentially effective in chronic pain management. Opioids’ advantages, including various modes of administration and no dosage limit, sometimes fail to justify its administration. Potential dependence puts certain groups of patients at risk (Tennant, 2019). Poorly regulated dosage conversion presents a challenge in opioid administration. Since patients’ analgesic needs change, medical professionals are often required to change medications or delivery methods, which is possible only if a doctor is familiar with equianalgesic charts and skilled in dosage conversion.
References
Moore, P. A., Ziegler, K. M., Lipman, R. D., Aminoshariae, A., Carrasco-Labra, A., & Mariotti, A. (2018). Benefits and harms associated with analgesic medications used in the management of acute dental pain. The Journal of the American Dental Association, 149(4), 256–265.
Tennant, F. (2019). Medications for chronic pain: acetaminophen, NSAIDs, opioids, and other medications. Practical Pain Management. Web.