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Clinical Use of Opioids

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Comprehensive Treatment of Chronic Pain by Medical, Interventional, and Integrative Approaches

Abstract

Opioids are compounds that work at specific receptors in the brain to provide analgesia. Originally extracted from the sap of the poppy plant, opioids may be naturally occurring, semisynthetic, or synthetic, and their clinical activity is a function of their affinity for the opioid receptors in the brain. Opioids are useful for a wide variety of painful conditions, including acute pain, cancer pain, and chronic pain, as well as cough suppression and air hunger. However, opioid use is associated with a significant risk of addiction potential, which limits their use and contributes to the current “opioid phobia.” In this chapter, we will discuss the history, pharmacology, clinical uses, and future directions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Algone Pain Center, 4 Oceanside Circle, St. Augustine, FL, 32080, USA

    Andrea Trescot M.D.

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  1. Andrea Trescot M.D.
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Correspondence to Andrea Trescot M.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Center for Pain Relief, Inc., West Virginia University, 400 Court Street, Suite 100, Charleston, 25301, West Virginia, USA

    Timothy R. Deer

  2. Stanford Pain Management Center, Redwood City, CA, Clinic Chief, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, 94065, California, USA

    Michael S. Leong

  3. Department of Anesthesiology, Rush Medical College, Professor, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, 60612, Illinois, USA

    Asokumar Buvanendran

  4. Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, 17033-0850, Pennsylvania, USA

    Vitaly Gordin

  5. Center for Interventional Pain and Spine, Newark, DE USA, Medical Director, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Bryn Mawr, 19010, Pennsylvania, USA

    Philip S. Kim

  6. President, National Institute of Pain, Tampa, 33558, Florida, USA

    Sunil J. Panchal

  7. The LITE Center, Clinical Associate Professor, Medical Director, School of Medicine, Miami, 33143, Florida, USA

    Albert L. Ray

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© 2013 American Academy of Pain Medicine

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Trescot, A. (2013). Clinical Use of Opioids. In: Deer, T., et al. Comprehensive Treatment of Chronic Pain by Medical, Interventional, and Integrative Approaches. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1560-2_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1560-2_10

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