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Pain Relief for Acute Urolithiasis: The Case for Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

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Abstract

Pain from renal colic is often severe and incapacitating. Many patients require emergent hospitalization and aggressive analgesia to relieve such discomfort. For many years, the optimal analgesic strategy has been sought to manage such severe pain. One of the mainstays of therapy for acute renal colic is with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). This paper reviews the mechanism by which NSAIDs allow pain relief in renal colic, the evidence for their use in this condition, and the use of NSAIDs combined with other agents in renal colic.

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Fig. 1

Data from Shokeir [6] and Travaglini [7]

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Peter L. Steinberg

  2. Division of Urology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Steven L. Chang

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  1. Peter L. Steinberg
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  2. Steven L. Chang
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Correspondence to Peter L. Steinberg.

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Dr. Steinberg and Dr. Chang have no relevant conflicts of interest, financial, employment, or otherwise, that are relevant to the publication of this manuscript.

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There were no sources of funding for either the research or writing of this manuscript.

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Steinberg, P.L., Chang, S.L. Pain Relief for Acute Urolithiasis: The Case for Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs. Drugs 76, 993–997 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40265-016-0595-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40265-016-0595-y

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