Clin Pharmacokinet
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Pain in childhood has not always been managed as actively as that in adults because of the limited amount of research available to provide guidelines for the management of paediatric pain. However, for many years now the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of opioid analgesics in infants and children have been studied intensively. Morphine is the standard for opioid analgesics and its pharmacology is the best studied in paediatric patients. ⋯ The high rate of drug metabolism means higher dosage requirements. In regard to the pharmacodynamics of opioid analgesics, infants and children do not appear to be more sensitive to the effects of opioids than adults. Thus, except for the neonatal period, the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of opioid analgesics are not markedly different from those of adults, and the risk of using opioids in infants and children is not higher.