Urologie pro praxi 3/2023
Treatment of chronic pain
Chronic pain is a serious socioeconomic issue. Its treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach. However, pharmacotherapy is the mainstay of treatment of chronic pain. The strategy of pharmacological treatment is based on the three-step analgesic ladder. Step 1 consists of non-opioid analgesics; if ineffective, these can be combined with weak opioids in Step 2 and/or strong opioids in Step 3. If necessary, strong opioid medication can be gradually discontinued.
Keywords: chronic pain, non-opioid analgesics, weak opioids, strong opioids.
