Opioid-Free Surgical Pain Management Program at UPMC Shadyside

What Is Opioid-Free Pain Management?

Do you want to avoid using opioid medicines to manage pain before, during, or after surgery? Then the Opioid-Free Pain Management Program for Surgical Patients at UPMC Shadyside is for you.

We designed the program for people who want to control surgery-related pain without using opioids.

About the Program

The Opioid-Free Pain Management Program is optional for people having surgery at UPMC Shadyside. You can change your mind and opt out of the program at any time.

Also, your pain management needs may change. Your care team can change your treatment plan to meet those needs.

Quick facts about the Opioid-Free Pain Management Program

Enrollment. Ask your surgeon about treatment using an opioid-free surgical pathway.
Team Awareness. Members of your care team will know if you're enrolled in the program and will support you along the way.
Pre-Op Prep. The care team will help you get ready for surgery.
Non-Opioid Pain Management. We can manage your pain using strong, non-opioid medicines.
Other Pain-Management Techniques. The care team may discuss other drug-free ways to help you relax and manage pain.

How Does the Opioid-Free Pain Management Program Work?

Before surgery, our team will help you control factors that may make pain worse after surgery and slow your recovery.

These include:

Stress.
Depression.
Sleep problems.
Negative thoughts or concerns about the results of your surgery.

Your care team may discuss methods like aromatherapy and relaxation techniques to help improve your comfort level.

When checking in at UPMC Shadyside, be sure to mention you do not want opioids – before, during, or after surgery.

Your care team should already know you're enrolled in the Opioid-Free Pain Management Program.

But reminding them will raise awareness for all those involved in your care, including:

Doctors and nurses.
Anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists.
Surgeons.
Pharmacists.

The anesthesia care team will make sure you're comfortable and safe before going to the operating room and during surgery.

They may give you regional anesthesia (like nerve blocks) or local anesthesia (what the dentist uses when pulling a tooth).

Or they may give an IV with non-opioid:

Pain medicines, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol^®).
Anti-inflammatory drugs (Toradol^®).

Post-op, your care team will treat pain with medicines that do not have opioids in them, such as:

Ibuprofen (Advil^®) and celecoxib (Celebrex^®) to help reduce post-op swelling.
Acetaminophen, like Tylenol, to manage post-op pain.

Drug-free pain management techniques

You can ask your care team about other ways to decrease pain without using medicines (*if available), such as:

Aromatherapy.*
Auriculotherapy.*
Acupuncture.*
Hypnosis.*
Mindful breathing.
Music therapy.
NeuroCuple™ device.*
Positive daily reflection.
Relaxation channel.

Contact Us About Opioid-Free Pain Management at UPMC Shadyside

If you have questions about our Opioid-Free Pain Management Program for Surgical Patients:

Call 412-623-2167.
Email MySurgeryOpioidFree@upmc.edu.