Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain
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Randomized Controlled Trial
How Sharp is a "Sharp Scratch"? A Mixed Methods Study of Verbal Warnings Issued Before Venipuncture.
Health care providers frequently issue a verbal warning before venipuncture. Communications that induce negative expectations in patients can lead to the "nocebo" response, defined as experiencing greater pain. But is this also true for "sharp scratch"? ⋯ Most health care providers use the verbal warning "sharp scratch" before venipuncture. Most patients find this acceptable and prefer it to no warning. An exception may be elderly patients, who may prefer to be distracted by conversation. "Sharp scratch" makes no difference to the pain experienced compared with a verbal cue.
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Persistence, the duration a patient remains on therapy, in chronic, symptomatic conditions plays an important role in therapy effectiveness. Understanding the duration and patient factors associated with prescribed medication persistence is, therefore, an important step toward better treatment and health outcomes for patients. In the following study, an analysis of such factors associated with buprenorphine transdermal system (BTDS) persistence was conducted utilizing a large US private practitioner and pharmacy claims database and is herein reported. ⋯ Prior and concomitant use of adjuvant analgesics, prior use of opioids, and dose adjustments were associated with significantly longer persistence among patients initiating BTDS. The results suggest that patients are less likely to discontinue BTDS early if practitioners account for prior treatment history and dose titration.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Pregabalin Does Not Affect Sperm Production in Healthy Volunteers: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Noninferiority Study.
The primary objective of this study was to compare the effects of pregabalin and placebo on sperm concentration in healthy male subjects. Changes in follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone, sperm motility, semen volume, and sperm morphology were also examined. ⋯ One hundred and nine subjects received placebo and 111 subjects received pregabalin. The difference between placebo and pregabalin with respect to the percentage of subjects with a ≥ 50% reduction from baseline in sperm concentration at End of Study was 6% (95% CI: -2.29 to 14.3%). Noninferiority of pregabalin compared to placebo was declared as the upper bound of the 95% CI was less than the prespecified noninferiority margin of 20%. There were no significant differences between placebo and pregabalin groups with respect to their effects on FSH, testosterone, or sperm motility. Changes in semen volume and sperm morphology were numerically similar in both treatment groups. Adverse events were consistent with the known safety profile of pregabalin. Treatment with 600 mg/day pregabalin for 12 weeks does not adversely affect spermatogenesis or serum levels of FSH and testosterone in healthy males.
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Review Meta Analysis
Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Telcagepant in the Treatment of Acute Migraine: A meta-Analysis.
Although triptans are widely used for treating acute migraine, they are contraindicated or not effective in a large proportion of patients. Hence, alternative treatments are needed. Calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonists, such as telcagepant, have been under investigation as a treatment for acute migraine. ⋯ The difference in pain relief at 2 hours did not significantly favor telcagepant over triptans or vice versa (odds ratio = 0.76, 95% confidence interval = 0.57-1.01, P = 0.061). These findings indicate that telcagepant can be effective for treating acute migraine. Calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonists represent a potentially important alternative means of treating acute migraine.