Der Schmerz
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Thalidomide was introduced as a sedative and antiemetic agent to the European market in the late 1950s. However, it soon became clear that a hitherto unheard-of incidence of severe birth defects was due to the maternal use of thalidomide and the drug was withdrawn from the market. Despite its teratogenesis, thalidomide is currently being rediscovered because of its known spectrum of anticachectic, antiemetic, mildly hypnotic, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, antiangiogenic, and analgesic properties. ⋯ In view of the current basic research and clinical findings,we suggest to investigate the potential benefits of thalidomide in severe pain conditions that respond poorly to common pain management approaches such as neuropathic pain, postherpetic neuralgia, or central pain phenomena. Because its mechanism of action is distinct from that of other drugs such as steroids, thalidomide offers the possibility of a combined treatment with other agents with nonoverlapping toxicities. We conclude that thalidomide, when used properly,may enrich the therapeutic regimen in the management of some pain-related conditions.