Common Pain Medications

Acetaminophen. Ibuprofen. Hydrocodone. Ketorolac. Morphine. Hydromorphone.



Oral Acetaminophen (Tylenol)



* Give every 4-6 hours* Regular strength – 325mg* Extra strength – 500mg* Maximum Daily Dose – 3000mg



Oral Ibuprofen (Advil)



* NSAID* Give every 4-6 hours* Regular strength – 200mg* Therapeutic Ceiling – 400mg



Oral Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen (Vicodin, Norco)



* Give ever 4-6 hours* Common doses – 5-325mg, 7.5-325mg, and 10-325mg



IV/IM Ketorolac (Toradol)



* NSAID* Common dosing – 15-30mg* Therapeutic ceiling – 10mg



IV/IM morphine



* Classic dose (0.1mg/kg)* This would be 7-10mg in adults!* More COMMON dosing is 4mg* Repeat as needed



IV/IM Hydromorphone (Dilaudid)



* COMMON dosing – 0.5-1mg * This drug is notorious for bringing you to peer-review/MM conference* Be careful!



Contraindications to NSAIDS



* Pregnant patients* Elderly patients* Renal disease patients* Cardiac patients* GI/ulcer patients



Side Effects of Opiates



* Sedation* No driving* Do not mix with alcohol* Do not mix with other sedatives* Constipation* Opiate dependency/addiction



Additional Reading



* Pain Management In the Emergency Department: A Review (PubMed)* Myths in EM: The Anti-Inflammatory Properties of NSAIDS (ACEP Now)