Introduction and objective:
Surgery and anaesthesia are crucial components of healthcare services which significantly reduce the risk of mortality and disability for millions of people worldwide each year. The most common problem occurring after inpatient and outpatient procedures continues to be post-operative pain. One possible way to prevent pain may be the use of co-analgesics such as duloxetine.

Review methods:
The PubMed database was searched to gather studies examining the utilization and efficacy of duloxetine in the treatment of post-operative pain. Three search formulations were employed to broaden the scope of results: ‘duloxetine and pain and post-operative’, ‘duloxetine and pain and peri-operative’, and ‘duloxetine and pain and pre-operative’.

Brief description of the state of knowledge:
Currently, duloxetine, together with other coanalgesics, is a first-line drug in the treatment of neuropathic pain. The use of peri-operative duloxetine has also been investigated in systemic reviews and meta-analyses. According to current knowledge, duloxetine may have measurable effects in the treatment of pain and reduction of opioid use, but the decision to undertake such treatment should be specific to the patient.

Summary:
The efficacy of duloxetine administration during the peri-operative period in reducing post-operative pain is contingent upon the nature of the surgical intervention and the therapeutic protocol employed. The documented benefits underscore the importance of pursuing additional research efforts