How Safe Are Common Analgesics for the Treatment of Acute Pain for Children? A Systematic Review. Pain Res Manag 2016;2016:5346819
Date
01/13/2017Pubmed ID
28077923Pubmed Central ID
PMC5203901DOI
10.1155/2016/5346819Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85008889833 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 52 CitationsAbstract
Background. Fear of adverse events and occurrence of side effects are commonly cited by families and physicians as obstructive to appropriate use of pain medication in children. We examined evidence comparing the safety profiles of three groups of oral medications, acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and opioids, to manage acute nonsurgical pain in children (<18 years) treated in ambulatory settings. Methods. A comprehensive search was performed to July 2015, including review of national data registries. Two reviewers screened articles for inclusion, assessed methodological quality, and extracted data. Risks (incidence rates) were pooled using a random effects model. Results. Forty-four studies were included; 23 reported on adverse events. Based on limited current evidence, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and opioids have similar nausea and vomiting profiles. Opioids have the greatest risk of central nervous system adverse events. Dual therapy with a nonopioid/opioid combination resulted in a lower risk of adverse events than opioids alone. Conclusions. Ibuprofen and acetaminophen have similar reported adverse effects and notably less adverse events than opioids. Dual therapy with a nonopioid/opioid combination confers a protective effect for adverse events over opioids alone. This research highlights challenges in assessing medication safety, including lack of more detailed information in registry data, and inconsistent reporting in trials.
Author List
Hartling L, Ali S, Dryden DM, Chordiya P, Johnson DW, Plint AC, Stang A, McGrath PJ, Drendel ALAuthor
Amy L. Drendel DO Chief, Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AcetaminophenAcute Pain
Analgesics
Analgesics, Non-Narcotic
Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal
Child
Drug Therapy, Combination
Humans
Nausea
Treatment Outcome
Vomiting
