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Opioids are commonly used in the post-operative period. Commonly used agents include morphine, fentanyl and pethidine. Intravenous infusion administration results in a more constant blood level however [39]. Oral opioids can be very effective and can be used to rapidly wean a patient off parenteral therapy, thereby allowing earlier discharge from the hospital. Oxycodone as a controlled-release tablet can provide good pain control for up to 12 hours.
Other methods of providing analgesia also exist. A Cochrane review in 1998 concluded that paracetamol can be used for post-operative pain relief. Several reviews have since supported this, suggesting that paracetamol can provide effective pain relief for up to four hours post-operatively with few adverse side effects [40, 41]. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can also be added to opioid treatment post-operatively as this can reduce morphine requirements and opioid-related side effects in the early post-operative period [42].
39. Ramsay MA. Acute postoperative pain management. Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent) 2000;13(3):244-7. 
40. Tzortzopoulou A, McNicol ED, Cepeda MS, et al. Single dose intravenous propacetamol or intravenous paracetamol for postoperative pain. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011;(10):CD007126. 
41. Barden J, Edwards J, Moore A, et al. Single dose oral paracetamol (acetaminophen) for postoperative pain. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2004;(2):CD004768. 
42. Cepeda MS, Carr DB, Miranda N, et al. Comparison of morphine, ketorolac, and their combination for postoperative pain: results from a large, randomized, double-blind trial. Anesthesiology. 2005;103(6):1225-32.