Alpha-2 agonists as pain therapy in horses.
Alpha-2 agonists, such as xylazine, clonidine, romifidine, detomidine, medetomidine, and dexmedetomidine, are potent analgesic drugs that also induce physiologic and behavioral changes, such as hypertension, bradycardia, atrioventricular block, excessive sedation and ataxia, all of which can potentially limit their systemic use as analgesics in some clinical cases. The use of medetomidine and dexmetomidine has been introduced for equine anesthesia/analgesia, and although not approved in this species, their increased specificity for alpha-2 receptors may offer some potential advantages over the traditional alpha-2 agonists. Similarly, other routes of administration and benefits of alpha-2 agonists are recognized in the human and laboratory animal literature, which may prove useful in the equine patient if validated in the near future. This review presents this relevant information.
Department of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, 50 Stone Road, ON, Canada N1G 2W1. valverde@uoguelph.ca
Alexander
A
Valverde
D058647:Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Agonists / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000698:Analgesia / Q000662:veterinary; D000700:Analgesics / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006736:Horses; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000662:veterinary*
D058647:Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Agonists; D000700:Analgesics