Acute Pain

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Chapter 4: Central Nervous System Toggle Pages

Acute Pain Chronic Non-Malignant Pain Management of Opioids Management of pain in substance misuse disorders Management of low back pain and sciatica Management of neuropathic pain Management of migraine Management of insomnia in adults Treatment of unipolar depression Treatment of anxiety spectrum and related disorders Prescribing for Alzheimer's disease Management of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) Treatment of schizophrenia and related psychoses Treatment of bipolar disorder Management of epilepsy Parkinson's disease management Management of tremor 4.1 Hypnotics and anxiolytics 4.2 Drugs used in psychoses and related disorders 4.3 Antidepressant drugs 4.4 CNS stimulants and drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder 4.5 Drugs used in the treatment of obesity 4.6 Drugs used in nausea and vertigo 4.7 Analgesics 4.8 Antiepileptic drugs 4.9 Drugs used in parkinsonism and related disorders 4.10 Drugs used in substance dependence 4.11 Drugs for dementia 4.12 Oligonucleotide inhibitors 4.13 Miscellaneous nervous system preparations

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First Line

Second Line

Specialist

Hospital Only

Acute pain is often straightforward to treat with a range of analgesics and other interventions depending on the pain severity. Opioids are often useful for treating acute pain and usually only need to be given for a period of a few days. Pain is often more severe immediately following surgery, trauma or acute medical illness and then reduces with time and healing, allowing a reduction in analgesia. Refer to local guidelines and management of opioids for further guidance.

Opioids are not indicated for the management of headache, migraine, or back pain; see:

Guidance on chronic non-malignant pain (pain lasting longer than 3 months duration) can be found here.

Guidance on the treatment of pain in palliative care: see section 16.2 Pain control in palliative care

Acute Pain Management – local guidelines

North Devon District Hospital (Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust) Acute Pain Guidelines can be found here
The Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust) Pain Management Guidelines can be found here (intranet users only)