Opioid Agonists and Perioperative Management of Patients on Maintenance Therapy

OpioidsOpioids are commonly used analgesicAnalgesics agents. They bind to specific receptors found throughout the body exerting agonistic, antagonistic, or mixed (partial agonistic) response. OpioidsOpioids are associated with addictionAddiction potential due to activation of reward centers and can cause opioid use disorderOpioid use disorder (OUD). MethadoneMethadone, BuprenorphineBuprenorphine, and NaltrexoneNaltrexone are medications used to treat OUD commonly known as maintenance therapy. Due to the increasing number of patients presenting to the perioperativePerioperative arena on maintenance therapy, it is imperative for physicians to be familiar with the complexity involved in managing patients with OUD. This chapter reviews the literature on opioidOpioids agonists and the perioperative managementPerioperative management of patients with OUD on maintenance therapies.