Articles: opioid.
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Concomitant use of opioids and promethazine has been reported in various subpopulations, including methadone maintenance patients, injection drug users, and at-risk teenagers. Promethazine is thought to potentiate the "high" from opioids. However, to date, the prevalence of promethazine use has not been determined among patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain. ⋯ The study provides compelling evidence of significant promethazine use in chronic pain patients. Promethazine should be considered as a potential drug of abuse that could cause increased morbidity in opioid-using populations.
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Pain interventionists can interrupt pain through anesthetic blockade of neural transmission to virtually any part of the body. Temporary pain relief can be achieved by the direct application of targeted anesthetic. Diagnostically, nerve blocks help identify specific pain generators, refine differential diagnosis, and disrupt the neural transmission mechanisms to stop pain generation peripherally. ⋯ This study's results support the hypothesis that a combined interventional and cognitive motivational counseling treatment program can be effective in decreasing spine pain, reducing prescription pain medication use, and improving overall quality of life in chronic spine pain patients.
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Opioids are commonly used after bariatric surgery for pain control because of their potent analgesic effects. Nevertheless, the morbidly obese patient has increased risk for developing adverse effects produced by opioids (such as sedation, apnea, hypoxemia, ileus, and vomiting). Intravenous acetaminophen (IVA) has been evaluated in some specialties showing a reduction in opioid consumption. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect on opioid consumption when IVA is administered in bariatric surgery patients. ⋯ IVA used perioperatively can decrease opioid consumption in patients after bariatric surgery. Randomized trials are needed to corroborate these results.
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Observational Study
Opioid-related adverse effects in children undergoing surgery: unequal burden on younger girls with higher doses of opioids.
Unpredictable interindividual variability in response to opioids results in inadequate analgesia and opioid-related adverse effects. The effects of the child's sex on opioid response have not been well studied. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of sex on opioid-related adverse effects in children undergoing tonsillectomy. ⋯ This study demonstrates that child's sex influences morphine's dose response and adverse effects. White girls have an unequal burden with higher incidences of PONV, RD, and prolonged PACU stays following tonsillectomy from PONV and RD as total morphine doses are increased.