Postgraduate medicine
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Postgraduate medicine · Sep 2004
ReviewOpioids for chronic noncancer pain. Tailoring therapy to fit the patient and the pain.
Opioids are powerful medications with a history that includes use for pain relief and, at times, addiction. This history of therapy versus drug abuse continues to cloud their prescription today, despite reports of effective treatment for the chronic pain that certain diseases can bring. Here, Drs Antoin and Beasley review the use of opioid agents in medicine, highlight the importance of proper patient selection and education in their use, and convey how opioids can be a viable option today for successful therapy for chronic noncancer pain.
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Postgraduate medicine · Sep 2004
ReviewThree common neuralgias. How to manage trigeminal, occipital, and postherpetic pain.
The pain experienced by patients with trigeminal, occipital, or postherpetic neuralgia is often severe, chronic, and difficult to treat. In this article, Drs Ashkenazi and Levin outline the pathologic mechanisms of pain in these common neuralgias and discuss individually tailored pharmacologic and surgical approaches to their treatment.