Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 1997
Comment Letter Clinical TrialKetorolac: continuous subcutaneous infusion for cancer pain.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 1997
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialThe effects of pre-emptive treatment of postherpetic neuralgia with amitriptyline: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Seventy-two patients older than 60 years of age who received a diagnosis of herpes zoster (HZ) were entered into a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of daily amitriptyline 25 mg. Treatment with either amitriptyline or placebo continued for 90 days after diagnosis. Pain prevalence at 6 months was the primary outcome. Results showed that early treatment with low-dose amitriptyline reduced pain prevalence by more than one-half (p < 0.05; odds ratio, 2.9:1) This finding makes a strong case for the pre-emptive administration of amitriptyline, in combination with an antiviral drug, to elderly patients with acute herpes zoster.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 1997
Case ReportsOctreotide may prevent definitive intestinal obstruction.
Partial bowel obstruction is indistinguishable from definitive obstruction at the onset of symptoms. No consensus exists regarding the treatment of potentially reversible states of bowel obstruction. On the basis of previous experience, octreotide was used in two patients with chronic intestinal obstruction, resulting in good control of intestinal symptoms and maintenance of a prolonged adequate intestinal transit, preventing the occurrence of definitive bowel obstruction. The results observed stress the early use of octreotide in such delicate clinical situations.