Journal of pain & palliative care pharmacotherapy
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Jun 2015
Acetaminophen absorption kinetics in altered gastric emptying: establishing a relevant pharmacokinetic surrogate using published data.
Acetaminophen has been used as a tool for clinical and nonclinical experimental designs that evaluate gastric emptying because acetaminophen is not absorbed in stomach but efficiently absorbed from the small intestine. Published pharmacokinetic data of acetaminophen in subjects with normal gastric emptying vs. impaired gastric emptying (i.e., morphine treatment) were evaluated to select a key surrogate. Using Caverage (average concentration), computed from the exposure within the first hour, individual rank distribution was plotted across different studies. ⋯ The individual rank distribution plots for 1/Caverage across different studies supported similar trends in subjects with normal gastric emptying but showed a distinct distribution pattern in the cohort of impaired gastric emptying. Caverage, calculated within the first hour of dosing of acetaminophen (average concentration at 0-1 hour, C0-1havg), can be used as a key surrogate to distinguish the effects of gastric emptying on the absorption of acetaminophen. A 4 μg/mL C0-1havg of acetaminophen (dose: 1.5 g) may be used as cutoff point in future clinical investigations of acetaminophen to clarify the role of gastric emptying.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Jun 2015
The epidemic of prescription opioid abuse, the subsequent rising prevalence of heroin use, and the federal response.
Opioids are a mainstay in the treatment of pain both chronically and acutely. In the past 20 years, the prescribing of opioids has increased exponentially. ⋯ Federal initiatives to mount war on prescription opioid abuse are reviewed, including responses from the White House, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and interagency initiatives. Many initiatives are currently in place to combat the rising rates of morbidity and mortality associated with opioids, and those involved are hopeful in their efforts to curb the epidemic of this deadly phenomenon.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Mar 2015
Case ReportsAmbulatory continuous interscalene blocks for cancer pain.
Continuous peripheral nerve blocks are used in the management of pain following surgical procedures. They can also be used in patients with cancer-related pain, to improve sleep quality, reduce opioid requirements and their side effects. We describe two cancer patients in whom interscalene brachial plexus catheters were used on an outpatient basis, allowing them to travel, decrease their opioid use, and improve their ability to perform routine activities.