Pain Management with Non-Opioids

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Knowledge about pain and suffering at the end of life has increased exponentially over the past few decades. Nonetheless, many patients continue to experience severe, debilitating pain at the end of their life.

The concept of "pain" needs to extend beyond the usual concept of pain, which is a purely sensory experience. The true totality of pain experienced by the dying patient typically includes multiple physical pains in addition to emotional, social, and spiritual pain. Addressing this "total pain" requires an integrated biopsychosocial module that is taught in many aspect of family medicine training.

While it is important to acknowledge the broad scope of pain relief, this module will focus specifically on accurately diagnosing the causes of a patient's pain by exploring the different types of pain. In addition to possessing skill in taking a thorough history and performing appropriate physical exam skills, it is important to understand the type of pain experienced and its underlying cause.

After reviewing different types of pain, this module will discuss non-opioid pharmaceuticals as well as briefly addressing non-pharmacological pain relief.

For a full discussion of the use of opioids for the treatment of pain, please refer to the Palliative Care Pain Management with Opioids.

This module is also for U-M Department of Family Medicine Residents on the CFM1 rotation.

Disclaimer: The University of Michigan Health System Web site does not provide specific medical advice and does not endorse any medical or professional service obtained through information provided on this site or any links to this site.

Use of the UMHS web site does not replace medical consultation with a qualified health or medical professional to meet the health and medical needs of you or others.

While the content of the UMHS web site is frequently updated, medical information changes rapidly and therefore, some information may be out of date, and/or contain inaccuracies or typographical errors.

Note: This module was originally developed by U-M Department of Family Medicine faculty member, Phillip E. Rodgers, M.D., in 2009. It is also maintained by Dr. Rodgers. Last updated: February 2014.

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