Events

Opioids have become an important topic in medical, public health, and political debate. Opioids are a very versatile class of analgesics; however, they have many side effects, including abuse and addiction, and under those circumstances they lead to overdose deaths. Prescription opioids for pain relief have come under scrutiny as the identified source of abused opioids. To minimize and prevent misuse of opioids, a number of professional societies have developed guidelines placing opioids as the second or third line of therapy, or only after all treatments fail. For practicing neurologists, same as for all clinicians, most important starting point is the most specific pain diagnosis. This should lead to a number of treatment options that do not rely on opioids, as with radicular low back pain and diabetic painful neuropathy, where professional societies have provided recommendations.

Educational objectives:

• Discuss pharmacological properties of opioids as analgesics
• Review pain assessment of neuropathic pain disorders, such as low back pain and diabetic painful neuropathy
• Discuss treatment options, minimizing reliance on opioids, while recognizing that a few patients will require treatment with opioids