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Original post: Newswise - Substance Abuse Drug combination reduces narcotic use, manages pain after surgery for teens with scoliosis
Combining two drugs, intrathecal morphine and oral gabapentin, reduces the amount of postoperative opioid use and side effects for adolescents undergoing a major spinal fusion surgery for scoliosis. Researchers say the method of reducing opioid intake by adding gabapentin has potential to be considered for other procedures beyond spinal fusion for scoliosis.