Transdermal administration of
analgesic medications offers several benefits over alternative routes of administration, including a decreased systemic
drug load with fewer side effects, and avoidance of
drug degradation by the gastrointestinal tract.
Transdermal administration also offers a convenient mode of
drug administration over an extended period of time, particularly desirable in
pain medicine. A
transdermal administration route may also offer increased safety for drugs with a narrow therapeutic window. The primary barrier to transdermal
drug absorption is the skin itself. Transdermal nanotechnology offers a novel method of achieving enhanced dermal penetration with an extended delivery profile for
analgesic drugs, due to their small size and relatively large surface area. Several materials have been used to enhance
drug duration and transdermal penetration. The application of nanotechnology in transdermal delivery of
analgesics has raised new questions regarding safety and ethical issues. The small molecular size of nanoparticles enables
drug delivery to previously inaccessible body sites. To ensure safety, the interaction of nanoparticles with the human body requires further investigation on an individual
drug basis, since different formulations have unique properties and side effects.