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CHRONIC PAIN PATHOLOGY: WHY DOES MORE DILAUDID MAKE THINGS WORSE? │ EP132

November 11, 2026 · 29 min

Show notes

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Welcome to the Atomic Anesthesia podcast hosted by CRNA professor Dr. Rhea Temmermand and Co-Founder Sachi Lord. On this show, you'll hear clear, clinically grounded discussions designed for nurse anesthesia residents and CRNAs who want to feel more confident in complex pharmacology, physiology, and real-world anesthesia decision-making.

Your fusion patient's pain gets worse every time you give more hydromorphone. Is she tolerant, or did the opioid make it worse? In Week 6 of our SEE/NCE series, we explain what changes in the nervous system when pain becomes chronic, so you can build a plan that actually works for your chronic pain patients.

In this episode:

  • The four steps of pain (transduction, transmission, modulation and perception) and a memory trick to keep them straight
  • Nociceptive vs neuropathic pain, plus allodynia vs hyperalgesia
  • Peripheral and central sensitization, wind-up, and the magnesium "bouncer" at the NMDA receptor
  • Chronic postsurgical pain, CRPS and the Budapest criteria, phantom limb pain, postherpetic neuralgia and fibromyalgia
  • Opioid tolerance vs opioid-induced hyperalgesia, and what to do when more opioid makes the pain worse
  • A perioperative plan and multimodal toolbox mapped to each step of the pain pathway

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Mentioned in this episode:

💜 PARTNERS: The Incomologists®

https://theincomologists.com/ You work hard caring for others—let us take care of you. Whether you’re a W-2 employee or transitioning to a 1099 role, we understand the unique challenges healthcare professionals face, from insurance coverage to financial planning. That’s where we step in. Like you, we are a team of healthcare providers who understand your needs and help you find tailored insurance plans and financial strategies without the hassle or pressure. And we’re a partner you can rely on, today and in the future. We evaluate all available options and resources in the market to protect our clients, so contact us, and we’ll get started! - Jake Bevilacqua, CRNA ([email protected])

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