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Effective Opioid Analgesic Alternatives and Approaches to Pain Management

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Treating Opioid Addiction

Part of the book series: Current Clinical Psychiatry ((CCPSY))

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Abstract

Chronic pain affects millions of people every year. The recent focus on the opioid epidemic has brought substantial attention to the potential risks associated with opioid overprescribing. However, individuals who receive opioids differ in the extent to which they experience physiological dependence on opioids, engage in opioid misuse, or report symptoms of an opioid use disorder. Irrespective of the levels of opioid-related problems, there is a pressing need to develop and improve treatments for chronic pain and provide patients with greater access to pain interventions already known to be effective. The present chapter includes a concise overview of the literature on chronic pain treatment, with an emphasis on some of the consequences of, and alternatives to, opioid use. Non-opioid treatments for pain are described in detail as well as the extent to which these are supported by research. The underlying assumption of this chapter is that the current emphasis on reducing opioids provides a window of opportunity to critically evaluate the benefits and potential consequences of different pain treatments. However, even as researchers look for improved treatments, it is essential to continue to provide effective treatment to those with chronic pain – avoiding involuntary or rapid tapering of patients already receiving opioids and ensuring that high-risk groups, such as those with established substance use disorders, have access to effective pain treatments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Jenna Goesling

  2. VA Center for Clinical Management Research (CCMR) at the Ann Arbor VA Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Mark Ilgen

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Mark Ilgen

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  1. Jenna Goesling
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Correspondence to Jenna Goesling .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Elizabeth R. Spallin Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    John F. Kelly

  2. Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Sarah E. Wakeman

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Goesling, J., Ilgen, M. (2019). Effective Opioid Analgesic Alternatives and Approaches to Pain Management. In: Kelly, J., Wakeman, S. (eds) Treating Opioid Addiction. Current Clinical Psychiatry. Humana, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16257-3_12

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