Multimodal Pharmacological Analgesia in Pain Management

Abstract

The knowledge of the pathophysiology of pain has gradually evolved in recent years, allowing the development of new management strategies, more specifically addressing single pain types and patient profiles. Despite these advancements, pain management still remains an open issue, given the limitations of single agent therapies, the potential abuse/misuse of opioids and the risk of adverse events. The advent of multimodal analgesic strategies paves the way for major improvements in pain management, combining increased efficacy with better tolerability and an opioid-sparing effect. The association of analgesics with different mechanisms of action represents a successful strategy for a wide range of pain conditions, minimizing side effects and taking advantage of the additive or synergistic actions of individual agents. Last but not least, the increasing availability of oral fixed-dose combinations of analgesics will offer further advantages over extemporaneous combinations, by increasing ease of administration and patient adherence to treatment.