What are adjuvant medications?
Adjuvant medications are those that we can use to “add on” to help in the treatment of pain. Adjuvant medications are non-opioid, non-habit forming medications that can really help provide pain relief needed to get moving again. There are many different classes of these adjuvants including:
Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS)
These medications can be used to help with pain from inflammation or arthritis. They include the following as examples:
Ibuprofen (Advil), Etodolac, Meloxicam (Mobic), Celecoxib (Celebrex), Diclofenac (Voltaren), Naproxen (Aleve), Aspirin
Gabapentinoids
These are medications that are derivatives of the neurotransmitter GABA and work on calcium channels in the central nervous system. These Gabapentinoid medications can be used for neuropathic pain, widespread pain, or Fibromyalgia pain. Examples of these medications include Gabapentin (Neurontin) or Pregabalin (Lyrica)
Muscle Relaxants
These are medications that can help with muscle related pain, or spastic pain. Examples of these include:
Tizanidine (Zanaflex), Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril), Lioresal (Baclofen), and others Topical Analgesics
Topical Analgesics
These are medications that can help with the treatment of painful skin related conditions like pain after a hernia repair or pain from Shingles. Examples include the following:
Lidocaine patches (Lidoderm), Diclofenac gel (Voltaren gel), Diclofenac patches (Flector patches)