Journal of pain & palliative care pharmacotherapy
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Jan 2016
Clinical TrialMinocycline Does Not Decrease Intensity of Neuropathic Pain Intensity, But Does Improve Its Affective Dimension.
Recent understanding of the neuron-glia communication shed light on an important role of microglia to develop neuropathic pain The analgesic effect of minocycline on neuropathic pain is promising but it remains unclear in clinical settings. This study included 20 patients with neuropathic pain of varied etiologies. We administered 100 mg/day of minocycline for 1 week and then 200 mg/day for 3 weeks, as an open-label adjunct to conventional analgesics. ⋯ There was no significant improvement in the scoring of NRS (5.6 ± 1.2 at baseline vs. 5.3 ± 1.9 at 4 weeks; P =.60). The total score of the SF-MPQ decreased significantly (17.2 ± 7.4 vs. 13.9 ± 9.6; P =.02), particularly in the affective subscale (4.4 ± 2.7 vs. 3.3 ± 3.6; P =.007) but not so in the sensory subscale (12.8 ± 5.2 vs. 10.6 ± 6.2; P =.06). We conclude that minocycline failed to decrease pain intensity but succeeded in reducing the affective dimension associated with neuropathic pain.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Jan 2016
Case ReportsCan the Dying Phase Be Masked by the Use of Dexamethasone? A Case Report.
Recognition of the dying phase, i.e., the period during which death is expected to occur within hours or days, is important because it enables marking the imminence of death, informing the patient and his relatives, and adjusting care where needed. Careful communication about a patient's limited prognosis prepares patients and their family for impending death and saying goodbye. The authors describe two cases of patients dying a relatively unexpected death in a hospice, which is uncommon in this setting. ⋯ Dexamethasone can make patients feel better, increase their appetite, and influence the stress response. These effects could mask the signs of impending death, such as "being bedbound," "only drinking sips," and "being subcomatose." Review of the literature yielded no articles that support or reject this hypothesis. Because dexamethasone is used regularly in the palliative phase of a chronic disease, there is a need for further exploration of its effects in the dying phase.
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It is often said that a hospice is much more than just a place providing supportive care for the terminally ill. This narrative describes Neha, a young mother who found her solace in the hospice and spent her last days there by choice. It reinforces the fact that the hospice is truly a philosophy of care where powerful and contrasting emotions do coexist.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Jan 2016
Relationship Between Buprenorphine Dosing and Triglyceride Lowering and creatine kinase [corrected] Elevation in Felines: Possible Human Implications.
Recently published feline data suggest that high doses of buprenorphine can elevate creatine kinase (CK) [corrected] and profoundly influence triglyceride levels in an inverted dose versus effect relationship. This intriguing observation in felines, hitherto not documented for buprenorphine, should be considered in human situations for any trends of translatability. The report evaluates the observed effects in domestic cats and what is known about buprenorphine in human subjects. Based on the objective assessment, the following are deduced: (a) although elevated CK levels is a nonissue in humans, one needs to pay attention especially when buprenorphine is used at the high end of therapeutic dose range in the presence of drugs that can impair the hepatic metabolism of buprenorphine; and (b) the potential for triglyceride lowering can be easily confirmed in human trials, and since it may occur at the relevant therapeutic doses of buprenorphine, it may be beneficial in such patients who may have added cardiovascular risk factors.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Jan 2016
Case ReportsHigh-Dose Sedation and Analgesia During Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Focus on the Adjunctive Use of Ketamine.
Use of ketamine in patients requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has rarely been reported, and the optimal dosing strategy remains unclear. A patient admitted with hypoxic respiratory failure required ECMO in addition to continuous infusion of low-dose ketamine following titration of opioid and sedative medications to high doses. ⋯ No adverse effects were reported while receiving low-dose ketamine. This case illustrates that use of low-dose ketamine infusion may be a useful adjunctive agent in patients receiving ECMO and high-dose opioid and sedative medications.