Latin-American Guidelines for Opioid Use in Chronic Nononcologic Pain

Abstract

Aim: Latin-American experts in the use of opioids in patients with chronic nononcologic pain (CNOP) have updated existing recommendations to current Latin-American reality. Methods: Several key opinion leaders from Latin America participated in a face-to-face meeting in Guatemala (April 2015) to discuss the use of opioids in CNOP. Subgroups of experts worked on specific topics, reviewed the literature and shaped the final manuscript. Results: The expert panel developed guidelines taking into consideration the utility of both opioid and nonopioid analgesics and factors pertaining to their efficacy, safety, adherence, administration and risks for abuse/addiction. Conclusion: Latin-American guidelines for the use of opioids in CNOP should improve pain relief and patients’ quality of life by increasing access to these effective agents.

KEYWORDS:

• analgesics
• guidelines
• Latin America
• opioids
• pain

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Grünenthal Services, Inc. provided logistic support for the experts to be gathered. The authors would like to thank Grünenthal Latin America for its unrestricted support in the logistics for our meeting to take place. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Editorial assistance was provided by Content Ed Net (Madrid, Spain) and supported by Grünenthal Services, Inc.

Notes

Data taken from [10,11].

^†Patients with addiction background, elderly, patients with cognitive impairment, emotional instability or psychiatric comorbidities [20].

Additional information

Funding

Grünenthal Services, Inc. provided logistic support for the experts to be gathered. The authors would like to thank Grünenthal Latin America for its unrestricted support in the logistics for our meeting to take place. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. Editorial assistance was provided by Content Ed Net (Madrid, Spain) and supported by Grünenthal Services, Inc.