Use of dexmedetomidine for pain control

Irina Grosu; Patricia Lavand'homme

doi:10.3410/M2-90

Use of dexmedetomidine for pain control

F1000 Med Rep. 2010 Dec 17:2:90. doi: 10.3410/M2-90.

Authors

Irina Grosu¹, Patricia Lavand'homme

Affiliation

¹ Department of Anesthesiology, Saint-Luc Hospital Medical School, Université Catholique de Louvain Avenue Hippocrate 10-1821, B-1200 Brussels Belgium.

PMID: 21283652
PMCID: PMC3026617
DOI: 10.3410/M2-90

Abstract

For many years, clonidine, an α2-adrenergic receptor (α2-AR) agonist, has been widely used as an analgesic adjuvant in perioperative conditions and pain therapy. Dexmedetomidine (DMET) is currently the most potent α2-AR agonist available and was first approved as a sedative agent for use in the intensive care unit. However, DMET has recently been investigated for its analgesic effects and has the potential to become an alternative to clonidine.