The journal of pain : official journal of the American Pain Society
-
Cannabinoids show promise as therapeutic agents, particularly as analgesics, but their development and clinical use has been complicated by recognition of their botanical source, cannabis, as a substance of misuse. Although research into endogenous cannabinoid systems and potential cannabinoid pharmaceuticals is slowly increasing, there has been intense societal interest in making herbal (plant) cannabis available for medicinal use; 23 U.S. States and all Canadian provinces currently permit use in some clinical contexts. Whether or not individual professionals support the clinical use of herbal cannabis, all clinicians will encounter patients who elect to use it and therefore need to be prepared to advise them on cannabis-related clinical issues despite limited evidence to guide care. Expanded research on cannabis is needed to better determine the individual and public health effects of increasing use of herbal cannabis and to advance understanding of the pharmaceutical potential of cannabinoids as medications. This article reviews clinical, research, and policy issues related to herbal cannabis to support clinicians in thoughtfully advising and caring for patients who use cannabis, and it examines obstacles and opportunities to expand research on the health effects of herbal cannabis and cannabinoids. ⋯ Herbal cannabis is increasingly available for clinical use in the United States despite continuing controversies over its efficacy and safety. This article explores important considerations in the use of plant Cannabis to better prepare clinicians to care for patients who use it, and identifies needed directions for research.
-
Pain involving several body regions generally represents nervous system pathophysiology shifting from predominantly peripheral to more central. In adults, higher widespread pain scores are clinically meaningful and confer risk for poor response to treatment. It is unknown whether widespread pain is similarly important in children. To address this gap, we conducted an observational study examining 1) associations between widespread pain and functional impairment and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in clinical pediatric samples, and 2) associations among sociodemographic factors and pain catastrophizing with widespread pain scores. Participants were 166 children aged 10 to 18 years from 3 samples (acute pain, presurgery, chronic pain). Children self-reported pain intensity, pain catastrophizing, functional impairment, and HRQOL. Children indicated pain locations on a body diagram, which was coded using the American College of Rheumatology definition of widespread pain. Results revealed higher widespread pain scores were associated with greater functional impairment with routine activities (F = 3.15, P = .02) and poorer HRQOL (F = 3.29, P = .02), adjusting for pain intensity, study group, and demographic characteristics. Older age (B = .11, P = .02), and Hispanic ethnicity (B = .67, P = .04) were associated with higher widespread pain scores. Findings support incorporating evaluation of widespread pain into pediatric pain assessment. Future research is needed to examine the longitudinal effect of widespread pain on children's treatment outcomes. ⋯ This article examines the association between widespread pain scores and functional impairment and HRQOL in community and clinical samples of children. Assessment of the spatial distribution of the pain experience provides unique information that may identify children at risk for poorer health.
-
Opioids are commonly used to treat patients with chronic pain (CP), though there is little evidence that they are effective for long term CP treatment. Previous studies reported strong associations between passage of medical cannabis laws and decrease in opioid overdose statewide. Our aim was to examine whether using medical cannabis for CP changed individual patterns of opioid use. Using an online questionnaire, we conducted a cross-sectional retrospective survey of 244 medical cannabis patients with CP who patronized a medical cannabis dispensary in Michigan between November 2013 and February 2015. Data collected included demographic information, changes in opioid use, quality of life, medication classes used, and medication side effects before and after initiation of cannabis usage. Among study participants, medical cannabis use was associated with a 64% decrease in opioid use (n = 118), decreased number and side effects of medications, and an improved quality of life (45%). This study suggests that many CP patients are essentially substituting medical cannabis for opioids and other medications for CP treatment, and finding the benefit and side effect profile of cannabis to be greater than these other classes of medications. More research is needed to validate this finding. ⋯ This article suggests that using medical cannabis for CP treatment may benefit some CP patients. The reported improvement in quality of life, better side effect profile, and decreased opioid use should be confirmed by rigorous, longitudinal studies that also assess how CP patients use medical cannabis for pain management.
-
Prescription opioid abuse and diversion are major causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. The buprenorphine transdermal delivery system (BTDS) is indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe chronic pain and provides a continuous dose of 5, 7.5, 10, 15, or 20 μg/h buprenorphine for 7 days. Quarterly rates of abuse and diversion of BTDS were compared with 4 comparator groups: 1) other buprenorphine products, 2) fentanyl patches, 3) extended-release (ER) opioid tablets/capsules, and 4) ER tramadol. Data were obtained from the Researched Abuse, Diversion and Addiction-Related Surveillance (RADARS) System Poison Center, Drug Diversion, Treatment Programs Combined (Opioid Treatment and Survey of Key Informants' Patients Programs), and College Survey Programs. Rates were calculated using case counts per population and mentions per prescriptions filled. Poisson regression analysis was used to compare mean rates over time across drug groups after allowing for drug group-specific dispersion parameters. Population adjusted abuse rates were low for BTDS in all of the RADARS System programs compared with the other comparator groups. Findings were similar for the prescription adjusted rates, with BTDS reported at the lowest rates in all programs. Route of abuse differed slightly for BTDS and the comparator groups depending on the program. BTDS was abused and diverted at low rates compared with the other opioid groups in 5 programs of the RADARS System using either population-based rates or prescription dispensed rates. ⋯ Data from the RADARS System show the BTDS is abused and diverted at low rates compared with other opioid groups including other forms of buprenorphine, fentanyl patches, ER opioid formulations, and ER tramadol.
-
There is good evidence that poor sleep quality increases risk of painful temporomandibular disorder (TMD). However, little is known about the course of sleep quality in the months preceding TMD onset, and whether the relationship is mediated by heightened sensitivity to pain. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was administered at enrollment into the Orofacial Pain: Prospective Evaluation and Risk Assessment (OPPERA) prospective cohort study. Thereafter the Sleep Quality Numeric Rating Scale was administered every 3 months to 2,453 participants. Sensitivity to experimental pressure pain and pinprick pain stimuli was measured at baseline and repeated during follow-up of incident TMD cases (n = 220) and matched TMD-free controls (n = 193). Subjective sleep quality deteriorated progressively, but only in those who subsequently developed TMD. A Cox proportional hazards model showed that risk of TMD was greater among participants whose sleep quality worsened during follow-up (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.73, 95% confidence limits = 1.29, 2.32). This association was independent of baseline measures of sleep quality, psychological stress, somatic awareness, comorbid conditions, nonpain facial symptoms, and demographic characteristics. Poor baseline sleep quality was not significantly associated with baseline pain sensitivity or with subsequent change in pain sensitivity. Furthermore the relationship between sleep quality and TMD incidence was not mediated via baseline pain sensitivity or change in pain sensitivity. ⋯ Subjective sleep quality deteriorates progressively before the onset of painful TMD, but sensitivity to experimental pain does not mediate this relationship. Furthermore, the relationship is independent of potential confounders such as psychological stress, somatic awareness, comorbid conditions, nonpain facial symptoms, and various demographic factors.