Analgesics

Patients aged 65 years and older who use acetaminophen demonstrate greater risks for serious complications, including hypertension, chronic kidney disease and gastrointestinal bleeding, noted a study published in Arthritis Care & Research.

CHICAGO — Comprehensive prescription drug monitoring program mandates appeared associated with a moderate reduction in the number of opioid analgesics dispensed to people dying of cancer, according to study results.

SAN FRANCISCO — Results presented here showed children with high anxiety scores prior to surgery may have less pain and take fewer analgesics postoperatively.

Although the proportion of patients who filled an opioid or nonopioid prescription after surgery remained stable from 2013 to 2019, results showed a shift away from physicians prescribing combination analgesics toward separate analgesics.

BOSTON — Use of topical analgesics significantly improved pain scores in most patients with symptomatic hand and wrist osteoarthritis; however, according to researchers, the treatment is an undesirable long-term maintenance therapy option.

A combination of analgesics prescribed with gabapentin after dental procedures was shown to be just as effective for treating pain as opioids, researchers reported in JAMA Network Open.

The use of analgesics is more common in those with psoriasis, specifically those with concomitant psoriatic arthritis, than in the general population, according to a study.