Journal of pain & palliative care pharmacotherapy
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Dec 2016
Case ReportsSuccessful Treatment of Opioid-Refractory Cancer Pain with Short-Course, Low-Dose Ketamine.
Opioids remain the mainstay of treatment for severe cancer pain, but up to 20% of patients have persistent or refractory pain despite rapid and aggressive opioid titration, or develop refractory pain after long-term opioid use. In these scenarios, alternative agents and mechanisms for analgesia should be considered. ⋯ As this patient's pain and opioid regimen escalated, he likely experienced some component of central sensitization and hyperalgesia. Administration of ketamine reduced opioid consumption by 99% and potentially "reset" neuronal hyperexcitability and reduced pain signaling, allowing for improved pain control.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Dec 2016
Case ReportsContinuous Perioperative Sublingual Buprenorphine.
Buprenorphine, a semisynthetic thebaine derivative, is a unique opioid, as it has activity at multiple receptors, including mu (partial agonist), kappa (antagonist), OLR-1 (agonist), and delta (antagonist). Because buprenorphine's pharmacology is relatively complex, misconceptions about its actions are common. Most other opioids act solely or predominately as full mu receptor agonists. ⋯ Pain control was easier to achieve, and functional recovery was greater when buprenorphine was maintained throughout the perioperative period when compared with using a full mu agonist opioid for chronic pain preoperatively. This is an outcome that much of the literature heretofore suggests would be unlikely. We review some aspects of buprenorphine's unique pharmacology that may explain why remaining on buprenorphine perioperatively may be preferable, which contradicts many practice guidelines.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Dec 2016
The Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine, 5th Edition.
EDITOR'S NOTE The journal is delighted to begin a collaboration with the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) in publication of book reviews relevant to symptom control in advanced disease. These reviews are adapted from the work of Roger Woodruff, MD, FRACP, FAChPM, an internationally recognized oncologist and palliative care specialist physician from Australia. Dr. Woodruff's reviews appear concurrently or did so previously in the IAHPC Newsletter, which is accessible through the IAHPC Web site: http://hospicecare.com .