NSAIDs and Acetaminophen for Acute and Chronic Pain

Acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) combat fever and decrease both acute and chronic pain. Hippocrates, in the fifth century BC, wrote about the use of powdered willow bark for treating fever and pain. In modern times, the use of NSAIDs became commonplace with the production of acetyl salicylic acid or aspirin by Bayer in the early nineteenth century. (Brogan SE, Mandyam S, Odell DW. 19 - nonopioid analgesics. 2019:369–389 and Royston D. 45 – anticoagulation and anti-platelet therapy. 2019:883–4). Pharmacology and physiology for anesthesia: foundations and clinical application, sec ed. Hemmings H). Since then, the use of NSAIDs have exploded to the point that they are now one of the most commonly used classes of medications for both perioperative acute pain and chronic pain management.