Minimizing Narcotic Analgesics After Endocrine Surgery

A study team member will give the participant a copy of the informed consent form to read. Participants will have a chance to ask questions about the study before agreeing to participate. If participants agree, they will be randomly chosen to receive one of two options for pain management that the investigators are already using in the care of patients (option 1: Tylenol (also known as acetaminophen) with tramadol if needed, or option 2: Tylenol #3 as needed) after surgery.

Participants will be asked to complete a form about the level of pain and how much pain medication was needed after surgery in the hospital and while at home. Participants will come to the GME General Surgery Center approximately one week after surgery for a post-operative visit so that the investigators can see how much pain medication was used and how much pain the participant had in the first few days after surgery.

Participants will not have to do any additional visits to participate in this study. The investigators will obtain the research materials at the same time as the usual care visits around the participants' surgery. It should take approximately 2 minutes each day to complete.

Inclusion criteria

• Adult patients 18 years of age or older,
• Who are undergoing thyroid or parathyroid surgery at DHR by an Endocrine Surgery faculty member,
• Provide informed consent to participate in the study in English or Spanish,
• Patients will be included if they are discharged the same day or on postoperative day 1,
• Patients who undergo central lymphadenectomy will be included,
• Patients who undergo two operations within a 2-week period (for example a thyroid lobectomy followed by subsequent completion thyroidectomy) will only have the postoperative narcotic requirements following the initial operation included for the study analysis.
• Patients who have a complication, such as seroma or hematoma, requiring return to the operating room within 48 hours will be included in the study for the initial operation only.

Exclusion criteria

• Patients who undergo lateral neck lymph node dissection will be excluded from the study due to the extent of the operation requiring a different analgesic regimen;
• Patients allergic to any of the study drugs will be ineligible;
• Patients who undergo two operations within a 2-week period (for example a thyroid lobectomy followed by subsequent completion thyroidectomy) will only have the initial operation included for the study analysis.
• Patients with a formal diagnosis of hepatic failure will be ineligible
• Patients with any diagnosis of chronic pain requiring treatment with ongoing narcotic regimen will be ineligible