Non-Opioid Analgesics
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Overview
Non-opioid analgesics relieve pain and reduce fever without acting on opioid receptors. Acetaminophen is the most widely used agent in this class, indicated for mild-to-moderate pain and fever in adults and children.
How do non-opioid analgesics work?
The precise mechanism of acetaminophen is not fully established, but it is thought to inhibit prostaglandin synthesis centrally in the CNS and to activate descending serotonergic pain-inhibitory pathways, without significant peripheral anti-inflammatory activity.
Drugs in this class
- Acetaminophen (Tylenol)