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Pain

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877 - Opioids for Grandmom: Literature Review and Updated Treatment Recommendations

Friday, February 23, 2024
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM EDT
Objectives: To review recent literature in the use of opioid analgesics and opioids alternatives to analyze treatment protocol recommendations when prescribing pain medication for elderly patients

Design: Databases such as PubMEd, CDC, Embase, JAMA, and SCOPUS were used as primary sources for literature. Using these sources, prior published literature was reviewed, focusing on opioid use in the elderly, types of opioid medications, and alternatives to common opioids prescriptions.

Results: Following review of literature, benefits and consequences of opioid use in the elderly was reviewed. A major highlight of the review was the promising results of buprenorphine, a current 3rd in line medication for use in pain management, as a potential first line option due to its significant benefits, safety, and ability to avoid complications with polypharmacy

Conclusions: Opioid use in the elderly will always be a debated topic due to the effects of the medication, risk of polypharmacy, and risk of Opioid dependency. However, the use of medications such as Buprenorphine can help with minimizing risk and maximizing relief. Future research should focus on further analysis of drug combinations to provide optimal pain relief for elderly care with the goals of improving quality of life without risking patient health.