What is medication management?
The goal of medication management is to decrease your pain and dysfunction using the lowest dose of one or more medications for the shortest duration of time necessary to achieve such goal. This is accomplished after a thorough evaluation process that has determined that this approach is reasonable and could achieve the desired goal.
A. As part of your medication management, the physician will expect periodic evaluation and discussions about risk/benefit analysis of each and such medications.
B. You will be expected to participate in other modalities such as physical therapy, functional rehab, behavioral therapies and patient consoling and interventional therapies that may be recommended.
C. The classes of medication may include:
- Nonsteroidal antinfiammatory medications
- Antidepressants
- SSRI’s/ SNRI’s
- Muscle relaxants
- Opioid Medications
- Gabapentinoids
These medications can be used alone or in combination with each other.
Most patients can benefit from medication management, but with the understanding that some pain medications can be addictive or associated with intolerable side/adverse effects. The goal of therapy is therefore to use the last amount of medications that is effect for the shortest duration of time. By taking this approach, patients can become less dependent on medications and focus more on a holistic strategy for the improvement in pain control, as well as improvement in physical and psychological well being.