Opioids have recently emerged as the leading cause of death for young-to-middle age adults in the United States, exceeding deaths from accidental injury, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Importantly, new studies also show that young adults and teens are increasingly developing opioid use disorders, many of these following surgery and other medical or dental interventions. It is estimated that as many as 30% of some populations are unable to discontinue taking opioids intended for short-term use following a procedure.

To stem the tide of death and injury due to opioids, regulatory restrictions are either mandated or under consideration for prescribers. In addition, guidelines from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and professional societies are encouraging the use of alternatives to opioids for acute pain, and limiting the duration of prescribing as well. For this reason, prescribers should be familiar with their alternative choices when confronted with an acute pain, as well as differences between opioids that may influence the ability to taper off of them. This session will review multimodal regimens for acute pain and discuss investigational new analgesics that may aid in the future management of pain.

Dr. Reisner joined the faculty of UCSF in 1987 as a Pharmacy Practice Resident and has served in various roles since that time, including as a lecturer in Clinical Pharmacy and Dentistry courses and as a clinical pharmacist for the UCSF Pain Management Center. She has also been a research pharmacist for the UCSF Pain Clinical Research Center as well as a consultant to the Center for TMD and Orofacial Pain in the UCSF School of Dentistry. She currently serves on various medication-related committees at UCSF Medical Center and enjoys her role as a preceptor for students and residents. Lori is a member of several professional organizations, including the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), the American Pain Society
(APS), and the International Society for the Study of Pain (IASP). Dr. Reisner has been involved in the development of a pain traineeship with the American Society of Health-system Pharmacists (ASHP) and has served at different times on the Board of Directors, the Scientific Program Committee and the Task Force for Centers of Excellence in Pain Management for APS. She has also served on the membership committee of ACCP. She received the Long Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching at UCSF in 1988 and in 2003. Dr. Reisner has been invited to address national and international groups and has publications in peer-reviewed journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Neurology, Dental Clinics of North America and the Annals of Pharmacotherapy. She sits on the editorial board for the Journal of Pharmaceutical Care in Pain and Symptom Control, and is a peer reviewer for the Annals of Pharmacotherapy and the Clinical Journal of Pain. She has authored chapters on pain management for the textbooks Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, Handbook of Non-Prescription Drugs and the ACCP Reviews for Board Certification in Pharmacotherapy.