American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation
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Am J Phys Med Rehabil · Mar 1996
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialEffect of mexiletine on spinal cord injury dysesthetic pain.
Severe pain occurs in 5-30% of the spinal cord-injured (SCI) population and is difficult to treat. Subarachnoid lidocaine has been used in selected patients with some success. Mexiletine, an analog of lidocaine that acts at Na+/K+ channels in the peripheral nerve, has been found effective in persons with diabetic dysesthetic neuropathy. ⋯ The Wilcoxon's signed-rank test and paired t test were used for statistical analysis. Results showed no significant effect of mexiletine on SCI dysesthetic pain scales or Barthel index. In conclusion, in this trial, mexiletine did not appear to decrease spinal cord injury-related dysesthetic pain.