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Alpha(α) 2-Adrenergic Agonists in Pain Treatment

  • Reference work entry
Encyclopedia of Pain

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Synonyms

Alpha(α) 2-adrenergic receptor agonists; Alpha(α) 2-agonists; α2A or α2C-adrenoceptor agonists; α2-adrenergic agonists; α2-receptor agonists; α-agonists

Definition

Alpha2-adrenergic agonists are drugs that mediate their analgesic (antinociceptive) effects by acting on α2-adrenoceptors (α2A, α2B, α2C) in the peripheral and central nervous system.

Characteristics

Indications and Patients

Alpha2-adrenoceptor (α2AR) agonists are used for treatment of acute (intra- and postoperative) as well as chronic (neuropathic) pain states. They are effective in patients of all age groups. α2AR agonists have also been safely used in pregnancy, labor, and during cesarean sections. Furthermore, there is evidence that they provide hemodynamic stability in patients with coexisting cardiovascular diseases during phases of noxious stimulation (e.g., orotracheal intubation) by attenuating the sympathetic response.

Dose and Route of Administration

With clonidine being the prototypical α2AR agonist,...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chelsea & Westminster Hospital Foundation Trust, 269 Fulham Road, London, UK

    Benjamin Thomas

  2. Department of Surgery & Cancer? Anaesthetics Section, Imperial College of Science and Medicine Chelsea and Westminster Campus, 269 Fulham Road, London, UK

    Carsten Bantel

  3. Faculty of Dentistry, Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Laura Stone

  4. Department of Neuroscience, Pharmacology and Dermatology, University of Minnesota Medical School, 6-145 Jackson Hall, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    George L. Wilcox

Authors
  1. Benjamin Thomas
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  2. Carsten Bantel
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  3. Laura Stone
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  4. George L. Wilcox
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Benjamin Thomas .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Pain Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Gerald F. Gebhart

  2. Physiologisches Institut der, Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany

    Robert F. Schmidt

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© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Thomas, B., Bantel, C., Stone, L., Wilcox, G.L. (2013). Alpha(α) 2-Adrenergic Agonists in Pain Treatment. In: Gebhart, G.F., Schmidt, R.F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Pain. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28753-4_165

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