Delivering Drugs: A new delivery system for post-op pain meds that uses transdermal electrical charges looks promising:

An adhesive patch that uses a tiny electric current to deliver pain medication through the skin does the job about as well as conventional intravenous devices, researchers said on Tuesday.

The patch resembles a credit card and is affixed to the patient's upper arm or chest after surgery. Both the patch and some intravenous delivery systems allow the patient to self-medicate by pressing a button, according to a company-funded study.

....'(The patch) is able to deliver a potent pain reliever through the skin with a very, very tiny electric current at the demand of the patient,' said study author Gene Viscusi of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. 'This is a miracle of miniaturization.'

It also allows the patient more freedom of movement than the traditional intravenous method does, which is a big plus when people are recovering from surgery. The sooner you can get up and moving, the quicker your recovery.