[ACUTE PAIN MANAGEMENT IN PATIENT ON OPIOID SUBSTITUTION THERAPY WITH METHADONE OR BUPRENORPHINE].

Abstract

The result of the increase in drug abuse is a growing number of patients receiving methadone or buprenorphine substitution therapy. Physicians are increasingly confronted with patients on substitution therapy at the time when they are developing acute pain conditions or when they need surgery. Although pain has sensory qualities, it is a very personal and complex experience. The intensity and duration of pain are influenced by numerous factors. Poorly controlled pain leads to unnecessary suffering of the patients with the possibility of permanent changes in behavior and reduced quality of life. Efficacious pain treatment is considered a basic right of every patient. Because of the complex mechanisms of the emergence and transmission of pain and the emotional components that are involved in the experience of pain, appropriate pain relief in patients on substitution therapy is a major challenge for both the physicians and the patients. The article gives an overview of issues related to the treatment of acute pain and perioperative treatment in patients on substitution therapy with methadone and buprenorphine. The article highlights the wrong common misconception about pain treatment in these patients, which also are the most common cause of their inadequate treatment.