Journal of pain & palliative care pharmacotherapy
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The top-line findings, arranged by date, from major national pain surveys published in 2005 and 2006 are reviewed. This report supplements the report on surveys published between 1996 and 2004 that appeared in Volume 21, Number 4, of the Journal.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Jan 2008
ReviewOpioid side effects and their treatment in patients with chronic cancer and noncancer pain.
Opioids are the foundation of standard analgesic regimens for moderate to severe pain due to life-threatening illnesses such as cancer, and are increasingly employed in chronic noncancer pain of the same severity. Opioids are frequently used for long periods in these populations, sometimes for years. However, side effects are common and may reduce quality of life, or become life threatening, and frequently cause patients to discontinue opioid therapy. ⋯ General management strategies include switching opioids ("opioid rotation"), discontinuation of concurrent medications that exacerbate side effects, and symptomatic treatment. In addition, recently recognized adverse events that occur after long-term opioid therapy are discussed. High-quality evidence is lacking for the treatment of most side effects, and the true incidence, underlying mechanisms, and clinical implications of long-term responses to opioid therapy are not yet fully understood.