Postoperative pain management after ureteroscopy: focused approaches to reducing opiate dependence

Ureteroscopy (URS) is a common urological procedure performed to treat nephrolithiasis, but postoperative pain often leads to patient inquires, unplanned emergency department visits, or readmissions. Effective pain management is essential for improving recovery, reducing adverse symptoms, and enhancing patient satisfaction. Due to concern for opioid dependency, urologists have increasingly focused on alternative methods for pain relief, emphasizing multimodal analgesia. This narrative review, based on a PubMED search from January 2025-February 2025, examines alternative strategies for pain management. Recent studies show benefits of combining medications like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDS), alpha-blockers, and anticholinergics to reduce opioid dependence. Identifying the most appropriate analgesics following URS remains a challenge, with the primary goal to optimize recovery to improve patient outcomes and satisfaction.