Alpha-2 Agonists Reduce Opioid Use for Post-Surgical Patients, Study Says

Researchers at Geneva University Hospital in Geneva, Switzerland, found that the use of alpha-2 agonists with opioids in surgical patients decreased post-surgical opioid use by 25 to 30 percent. The decrease in opioids use did not deprive patients of pain relief — to the contrary, researchers found that the patients reported slightly less pain after surgery.

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Taryn Tawoda

Researchers gathered data from previous studies encompassing 1,792 patients, 933 of whom received the alpha-2 agonists clonidine or dexmedetomidine. Data showed that patients receiving clonidine consumed 25 percent less morphine one day after surgery, while those receiving dexmedetomidine consumed 30 percent less morphine. Both alpha-2 agonists lost their pain-relieving effects after 48 hours.

Lead study author Grégoire Blaudszun, MD, said that further research on alpha-2 agonists is needed before they can be recommended for regular use by anesthesiologists.

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