Many effective analgesic drugs are available for the relief of acute pain, but their clinical use is widely regarded as being inadequate. The reasons cited for this include concern about the adverse effects of opioids and also insufficient adjustment of therapy to the patient's needs. Non-opioid anal- gesics are the staple drugs for mild to moderate pain and are generally better tolerated than opioid drugs. Differences exist, however, among the non-opioid analgesics which affect the choice of drug for individual pa- tients and specific acutely painful conditions. In an associated symposium of...

Dipyrone is widely acknowledged to be an effective antipyretic analgesic with an additional intrinsic spasmolytic activity. It has stood the test of time over the last 75 years in many clinical settings throughout the world. Some 20 years ago, however, concern arose over the implications of isolat ed reports of agranulocytosis following use of dipyrone. Based on these initial cases the Swedish authorities ordered the withdrawal of the drug from the market. Subsequently, dipyrone has been subjected to extensive comparative epidemiological and clinical studies. The results of these in...

There is no ideal analgesic and the most potent drug is not always the best because of its side-effects. Non-opioid analgesics, including the non-steroi dal anti-inflammatory drugs and the non-narcotic analgesics, play an im portant role in the relief of a wide spectrum of painful conditions, though they vary in efficacy and safety. This book reviews the role which non-opi oid analgesics play in the relitff of pain, particularly with regard to post operative and cancer pain. Emphasis is placed on the clinical indications for the non-acidic analgesic, dipyrone, and its relative safety in...