Postoperative Pain Management: Opioids vs Multimodal Analgesia
1Dr M. Azhar Qureshi, 2Dr Shakeel Ahmed,3Dr Muhammad Parvez,4Dr Aman Ullah ,5Dr Farhat Bano, 6Dr Kaleem Akhtar
Submission: 08 December 2026 | Acceptance: 10 January 2026 | Publication: 05 February 2026,
1Associate professor of General Surgery, Rawal Institute of Health Sciences Islamabad
2Assistant professor, Surgery department Karachi Medical and Dental college, Karachi
3HOD, Wah Medical College, Islamabad
4Petroleum Limited Sui Field Hospital, Sui Balochistan
5Associate professor surgery SMBBMC (Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College)Lyari
6UHS
Abstract
Background
Optimizing recovery, reducing complications, and improving patient satisfaction all depend on effective postoperative pain management. Despite its potency, opioid-based analgesia has serious side effects and the potential for dependence. An alternate approach to bettering pain management while lowering opioid use is multimodal analgesia, which combines several analgesic drugs and methods.
Objective
To evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and patient satisfaction of opioid-only versus multimodal analgesia for adult surgical patients’ postoperative pain treatment.
Methods
120 adult patients undergoing elective orthopedic and abdominal operations participated in a prospective, randomized, controlled study. Patients were randomized to receive either multimodal analgesia, which combines reduced-dose opioids with non-opioid medicines, or traditional opioid-based analgesia. The visual analog scale (VAS) was used to measure postoperative pain at 2, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours. Patient satisfaction, the frequency of side effects, and the total amount of opioids consumed were all noted and examined.
Results
In comparison to the opioid group, the multimodal group used 43% less opioids over the course of 48 hours and showed significantly lower VAS pain levels at all time points (p < 0.01). In the multimodal group, side symptoms such nausea, sedation, respiratory depression, and pruritus were far less common. 50% of patients in the multimodal group reported being “very satisfied,” compared to 30% in the opioid group.
Conclusion
Compared to opioid-only regimens, multimodal analgesia offers better postoperative pain control, lowers opioid use, minimizes opioid-related side effects, and increases patient satisfaction. It is advised to use multimodal approaches to improve recovery and surgical results.
Keywords
Postoperative pain, opioids, multimodal analgesia, opioid-sparing, patient satisfaction, adverse effects, pain management.