UCSF Study Maps Non-Opioid Pain Relief for Emergency
Get the Health newsletter
Daily health & science — research, biotech, public health, the studies worth knowing. Free.
- UCSF researchers published a review paper identifying non-opioid alternatives for five common emergency department pain conditions: abdominal, back, chest, fracture, and headache pain, drawing on existing medical literature and drugs available at San Francisco General Hospital.
- Acetaminophen and NSAIDs like ibuprofen showed potential to relieve all five pain types examined, while ketamine showed promise for chest pain, an SNRI antidepressant for back pain, and several antipsychotics for headache and abdominal pain.
- First author Akash Shanmugam, a UCSF medical student, said the goal was to create a "very targeted list for specific pain conditions" that adds to the "toolboxes" physicians use to treat patients.
- Co-author Dr. Kathy LeSaint, a UCSF associate professor of emergency medicine, noted that genetic variation in the enzymes that metabolize opioids means pain medication effectiveness varies person to person.
- LeSaint explained that neural circuits producing pain sensations overlap with those governing emotional experience, and chronic pain is intertwined with poor sleep, depression, anxiety, and fatigue, which is why mood-regulating drugs can relieve physical pain.
- Both authors stressed that opioids still have a place in medicine, with Shanmugam cautioning that "the desire to reduce opioids shouldn't come at the expense of under-treating pain."
Why it matters: Emergency physicians and patients gain a targeted, evidence-based menu of non-opioid options for the five most common ED pain complaints, potentially reducing exposure to addictive medications. The study's emphasis on genetic variability in drug metabolism makes individualized treatment selection more important, and the explicit warning against under-treating pain signals the recommendations are meant to supplement, not replace, clinical judgment.
Ask SkimNews
