Opioids

• Assess effectiveness/choice (is pain neuropathic or otherwise not responsive to opiates? e.g. chronic back pain, widespread pain, fibromyalgia, medically unexplained symptoms)

See:

• SIGN 136 Management of Chronic Pain
• SIGN 106 Control of Pain in Adults with Cancer (now archived)

• CAUTION: Constipation. Use laxatives
• CAUTION: Cognitive impairment and respiratory depression, dependency, immunosuppression and suppression of sex hormones