Analgesic effect of oxytocin and its effectiveness in acute pain management: A systematic review.

This systematic review examined oxytocin (OT) for acute pain, assessing its antinociceptive effectiveness, clinical use by administration route and dose, and associated adverse effects. The review followed PRISMA guidelines. We searched Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus for studies published from 2014 to 2024. Included studies were synthesized to extract data on route of administration, analgesic dosing, indications, side effects, and target populations. Ten studies were included. OT's analgesic effects varied by acute pain context; several studies reported pain reduction in experimental paradigms such as the cold pressor test. Routes investigated included intranasal administration (24-40IU), intrathecal, intravenous, and subcutaneous delivery, often selected due to safety considerations. Reported adverse effects were generally mild, suggesting a favorable safety profile. Overall, OT appears to function as a context-dependent pain modulator rather than a universal analgesic, supporting exploration of strategies that may reduce reliance on conventional analgesics.