Non-Opioid Options for Managing Pain

Canada is in the midst of an opioid crisis. And even with growing awareness of the risks, opioids continue to be used extensively in the management of pain. The 2017 Canadian Guideline for Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain recommends optimizing non-opioid pharmacotherapy and non-pharmacological therapy rather than a trial of opioids for patients with chronic, non-cancer pain (who are not currently taking opioids).

The challenge with this recommendation is knowing what the evidence says about the many different non-opioid options for treating pain. Are they effective? Are they safe? Are they readily available to patients?

To help support decisions about managing pain, CADTH has been reviewing the evidence on different treatment options for various types of pain through our Rapid Response service.

Here, you’ll find the highlights of many of these evidence reviews — all in one place.