Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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Menstrual pain or primary dysmenorrhea has not received much attention in the field of pain research. Little is understood about the effects menstrual pain has on the women who experience it. No studies to date have examined the cognitive factors related to the perceived intensity and coping of menstrual pain. To investigate these areas further, this study examined the associations between pain catastrophizing and how women perceive and cope with menstrual pain. ⋯ The results extend our knowledge about the associations between pain catastrophizing and menstrual pain, reemphasize that pain experience is best viewed as a multidimensional construct, and have implications for the management of menstrual pain.
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Opioid analgesic drugs are sometimes advocated for chronic noncancer pain (CNCP). However, due to the paucity of studies assessing problematic opioid drug use in this population, evidence for such is inconclusive, and this issue remains controversial. This survey assessed problematic drug use among CNCP patients. ⋯ These findings indicate that opioid therapy for CNCP does not necessarily lead to problematic drug use. Some problematic side effects are likely to be surmountable through appropriate prescribing. Further research is required into the long-term use of opioids in CNCP.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Lidocaine patch 5% with systemic analgesics such as gabapentin: a rational polypharmacy approach for the treatment of chronic pain.
To assess the effectiveness and safety of the lidocaine patch 5%, a targeted peripheral analgesic, in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia, painful diabetic neuropathy, and low back pain patients with incomplete responses to their current analgesic treatment regimen containing gabapentin. ⋯ Results of this study highlight the potential advantages achieved with rational polypharmacy using a targeted peripheral analgesic, the lidocaine patch 5%, with centrally acting agents such as the anticonvulsant gabapentin. Controlled trials are warranted to further define the impact of such combination therapy.
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Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak is a rare clinical entity that may result in disabling headaches. It occurs as a result of dural defects, and the initial symptoms resemble those of postdural puncture headache. However, the positional headache can later evolve into a persistent chronic daily headache. ⋯ When conservative management fails, the pain management clinician is called upon to administer an epidural blood patch. The success of this technique is dependent upon accurate diagnosis of the site of leakage and targeted epidural administration of the blood patch to this area. In this report, we describe four consecutive cases that were referred to our pain management department over an 18-month period and were successfully treated with site-directed epidural blood patches.
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Depression is a major barrier to effective pain relief. The SF-36 Health Survey may be useful as an outcome measure for chronic pain patients with and without depression. The study purpose was to determine the correlation between the SF-36 Mental Composite Scale t-score and depression type in chronic pain patients and the positive predictive value of the SF-36 in classifying depression type in chronic pain patients. ⋯ The SF-36 Mental Composite Score and all subscales were highly correlated with depression type in chronic pain patients. The positive predictive value of the SF-36 in classifying depression type was high. The SF-36 may be a useful clinical tool to measure health-related quality of life in chronic pain patients. In addition, the SF-36 was able to detect major depression and demonstrate a dose-effect relationship between depression type (severity) and health-related quality of life in chronic pain patients.