Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain
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Review Case Reports
High doses of topical amitriptyline in neuropathic pain: two cases and literature review.
Severe chronic neuropathic pain is a challenge to treat, and due to adverse effects of classical oral medication, optimal and effective dose levels are difficult to reach. Therefore, administration of topical analgesics might be an option, due to reduced adverse effects, and increased patient compliance. The aim of this article is to describe two cases treated effectively with topical amitriptyline 5% and 10%, the highest dosage described to date. ⋯ The patient decided to stop topical treatment because of these adverse effects. These two cases suggest an analgesic dose-response effect of topical amitriptyline in painful neuropathy. Systemic adverse effects should be taken into account.
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Clinical Trial
Epidural steroid and clonidine for chronic intractable post-thoracotomy pain: a pilot study.
Chronic post-thoracotomy pain is relatively common after major thoracic surgery. The primary results of a pilot study using thoracic epidural steroid and clonidine injection to treat chronic intractable post-thoracotomy pain are presented. ⋯ Our preliminary data suggest possible efficacy of thoracic epidural steroid and clonidine mixture in the treatment of chronic post-thoracotomy pain. No serious adverse effects were noted in this pilot study.
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Chronic low back pain (cLBP) patients who take at least 1 CYP450-metabolized opioid analgesic agent concurrent with at least 1 other CYP450-metabolized medication experience a drug-drug exposure (DDE), which puts them at risk for a pharmacokinetic drug-drug interaction (PK DDI). This study compared utilization of healthcare resources and associated payments in cLBP patients with and without incident DDEs with the potential to cause PK DDIs. A retrospective database analysis examined the associated clinical events, healthcare utilization (measured in terms of claims for office visits, outpatient visits, emergency department visits, and hospitalization), and cost to the health plan, as defined as the sum of health plan payments for resources used. ⋯ Younger and older patients with DDE had significantly higher prescription payments than those without DDE ($2,041, SD = $2,706 vs. $1,565, SD = $2,349, respectively, P < 0.001 for younger and $2,482, SD = $2,481 vs. $2,286, SD = $2,521, respectively, P = 0.044 for older patients). Both older and younger patients with DDE had significantly more claims for office visits and higher associated payments than similar patients without DDE. Patients in the study who experienced DDEs that placed them at risk for PK DDIs had significantly greater utilization rates of healthcare resources and higher associated payments in the 6-month observation period following exposure.