A 75-year-old man is being treated as an outpatient for metastatic prostate cancer. Which of the following statements is true regarding the management of pain with opioids in the elderly?
a. Opioids with a long half-life such as methadone are a good choice, because they stay in the system longer and patients do not have to remember to take multiple pills.
b. Serum creatinine is the best measurement of renal function in the elderly and should be done prior to the initiation of treatment with opioids.
c. Renal clearance of medications is faster in the elderly, so higher dosages of medications are needed to adequately control pain.
d. None of the above
Question 2
Which of the following would be a cause of visceral pain?
a. Bone metastases
b. Intra-abdominal metastases
c. Musculoskeletal inflammation
d. Postsurgical incisional pain