1. I’m a family physician. When treating pain, at what dose of short-acting opioid can I switch to a long-acting opioid?

It’s not so much a matter of dose as type of pain. For acute pain, which shouldn’t last long and should be relieved fairly quickly, it’s appropriate to use short-acting opioids, with some prescribed on an as-needed basis. This way, treatment can be adjusted to the user’s rapidly evolving situation.

For subacute pain, which will probably last longer, it’s appropriate to provide baseline analgesia with a long-acting opioid.