Fentanyl is not the cheapest opiate in US hospitals, and is not used as a substitute for morphine or oxycodone. It’s primarily used for anesthesia, where oxycodone/hydrocodone/morphine/hydromorphone are used in the units as pain killers taken orally. Injectable hydromorphone is cheaper and more commonly used for acute pain than fentanyl.
It’s part of general anesthesia, along with other drugs such as midazolam, propofol, ketamine, etomidate, etc. It augments anesthesia gases such as sevoflurane/desflurane/isoflurane, though we’re getting outside my realm of expertise; I’m not an anesthesiologist so I can’t specify why a certain combination of drugs might be used vs another.
Fentanyl is not the cheapest opiate in US hospitals, and is not used as a substitute for morphine or oxycodone. It’s primarily used for anesthesia, where oxycodone/hydrocodone/morphine/hydromorphone are used in the units as pain killers taken orally. Injectable hydromorphone is cheaper and more commonly used for acute pain than fentanyl.
Source: work in a hospital pharmacy
Ok thank you. I’ve known patients who lived for a month receiving constant fentanyl that month.
Opiates for anasthesia? surprising. What previous “gas”/process did it replace?
It’s part of general anesthesia, along with other drugs such as midazolam, propofol, ketamine, etomidate, etc. It augments anesthesia gases such as sevoflurane/desflurane/isoflurane, though we’re getting outside my realm of expertise; I’m not an anesthesiologist so I can’t specify why a certain combination of drugs might be used vs another.