Nonopioid Management of Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is a reality for many patients. In an effort to help patients manage their chronic pain, opioids have been prescribed but often are not a safe solution. Instead, opioids fall short of adequate pain control and have contributed to opioid use disorder, overdoses, and death. Other modalities for pain control exist including nonopioid medications, topical treatments, physical modalities, and complementary and alternative medicine. Combining treatments can provide optimum relief with fewer adverse risks than opioids. This article will review a number of evidence-based treatments that can be used in a multimodal approach to chronic pain management.