Painful to describe, painful to diagnose: opioid-induced hyperalgesia

Painful to describe, painful to diagnose: opioid-induced hyperalgesia.

Editor—We thank Fletcher and Martinez for bringing renewed attention to the important topic of opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH) with their systematic review and meta-analysis. Whilst we applaud them for their work, we would like to highlight what we feel to be a considerable shortcoming in OIH research and its subsequent translation into clinical practice. First, scientists and clinicians need...

Opioid Induced Hyperalgesia

Opioid Induced Hyperalgesia

Opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH).

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Opioids are commonly used for pain control; however, they can cause hyperalgesia. The reason why this can happen is not known. The objective of this review was to describe the mechanisms, factors implicated, and drug modulation. CONTENTS The factors implicated in the development of opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH), such as duration of use, dose, and type of opioids ...

Opioid Induced Hyperalgesia

Introduction Pain is one of the main reasons that people seek medical attention, and it is estimated to affect tens of millions of Americans. Chronic pain management commonly includes the use of opioid type medications. This is in spite of that fact that this class of drugs has well known adverse effects including the development of dependence, tolerance, and addiction. Recently, however, a tro...