Neurológia pre prax 6/2020

The most significant side effects of non-opioid analgesics and their pharmacological mechanisms

Analgesics belong to the most commonly prescribed drugs. Non-opioid analgesics are drugs of various chemical origin that have analgesic, antipyretic and some of them also have anti-inflammatory and antiaggregation effect. They can be divided into analgesics – antipyretics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Inhibition of cyclooxygenase and thus influencing the formation of eicosanoids is a common mechanism of action, especially in nonsteroidal antiphlogistics. Both desirable therapeutic effects and side effects are associated with the influencing of eicosanoid production.

Keywords: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, cyclooxygenase, side effects