acetaminophen + ibuprofen + oxycodone (MetroHealth Medical Center)

The narcotic-MetroHealth Medical Center-postoperative pain regimen refers to a specific multimodal analgesic protocol evaluated in a randomized clinical trial (NCT03640247) conducted by MetroHealth Medical Center. This regimen was designed to manage pain following thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy. It consists of a combination of non-opioid analgesics—specifically acetaminophen and ibuprofen—alternated for baseline pain control, supplemented with a prescription of 10 tablets of the opioid oxycodone (or hydrocodone/tramadol as alternatives for patients with allergies) for breakthrough pain. The regimen also includes non-pharmacological adjuncts such as ice packs and throat lozenges. The clinical study aimed to determine if this narcotic-containing regimen provided superior pain control compared to a non-narcotic regimen (acetaminophen and ibuprofen alone), ultimately finding no significant difference in pain scores and suggesting that many patients can be managed without opioids post-surgery.

Other names

Narcotic group regimenNarcotic pain management regimen (MetroHealth)Narcotic-MetroHealth Medical Center-postoperative pain regimen