Author information

¹Indiana University School of Medicine and Indiana University Health, Indianapolis, USA.

²Department of Gastroenterology, Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland; Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.

Abstract

Pain is prevalent in patients with cirrhosis. Due to potential alterations in drug metabolism, risk for adverse effects, and complications from cirrhosis, physicians are often faced with difficult choices when choosing appropriate analgesics in these patients. Overall, acetaminophen remains the preferred analgesic. Despite its potential for intrinsic liver toxicity, acetaminophen is safe when used at 2g/day. In contrast, non-selective nonsteroidals should be avoided due to their multiple side effects including worsening renal function, blunting diuretic response, and increasing risk of portal hypertensive and peptic ulcer bleeding. Celecoxib can be administered for short-term (≤ 5 days) in patients with Child's A and Child's B cirrhosis (50% dose reduction). Opioids carry the risk of precipitating hepatic encephalopathy and should generally be avoided, when possible. If clinical situation demands their use, opioid use should be limited to short-acting agents for short duration. Gabapentin and pregabalin are generally safe. Duloxetine should be avoided in hepatic impairment. Topical diclofenac and lidocaine seem to be safe in patients with cirrhosis.