Developed in partnership between The University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and The Colorado Chronic Pain Centers of Excellence
This one-hour free educational program equips physicians, advanced practice providers, and pharmacists with practical, evidence-based strategies to safely manage pain-related medications and reduce patient harm. Participants will explore the clinical risks associated with co-prescribing opioids, benzodiazepines, and skeletal muscle relaxants—including the particularly dangerous “Trinity” combination—and examine how these medications contribute to overdose risk, adverse outcomes in older adults per the 2023 American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Beers Criteria, and complications from long-term opioid therapy.
The program also addresses opioid-induced hyperalgesia, the risks and challenges of opioid tapering, and common withdrawal symptoms with appropriate treatment options. Through applied discussion and planning, learners will gain the skills needed to counsel patients on long-term opioid risks and to develop safe, individualized tapering plans that include structured schedules and supportive pharmacologic management.
Objectives
- Describe how the combination of opioids and benzodiazepines increases the risk of overdose death
- Explain what the “Trinity” is and why this combination of medications is particularly dangerous and should be avoided
- Recognize signs of opioid-induced hyperalgesia to identify patients who may benefit from opioid tapering
- Create a therapeutic plan for tapering, including a taper schedule and medication regimen to treat withdrawal symptoms
The University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education (CPE). This event has been accredited for up to 2.0 contact hours of knowledge-based CPE for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.
#0008-0000-25-137-H08-P
Initial Release Date: 1/13/2026
Planned Expiration Date: 1/13/2029
.jpg?sfvrsn=abd5b6b4_0 "manholdingpills")