Management of Chronic Pain Pharmacological Approaches

Course overview

After completing this activity, learners will be able to: 1. Understand the pharmacology and therapeutic uses of non-opioid analgesics, including acetaminophen, NSAIDs, and COX-2 inhibitors, along with their adverse effects and drug interactions. 2. Describe the role of opioid agonists and mixed opioid agonist-antagonists in pain management, focusing on their mechanisms of action, clinical applications, and risks. 3. Recognize adverse effects and management strategies for opioid and non-opioid analgesics, including opioid-induced respiratory depression and local anesthetic reactions. 4. Evaluate multimodal pain management approaches that combine pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies to minimize opioid use. 5. Apply patient education and safe prescribing practices for both opioid and non-opioid analgesics, with attention to monitoring and reducing misuse.