Articles: opioid.
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Clinical Trial
Stimulation of the Spinal Cord and Dorsal Nerve Roots for Chronic Groin, Pelvic, and Abdominal Pain.
Chronic neuropathic groin pain is a common problem. It can arise following surgery or trauma, or spontaneously as part of various pelvic pain syndromes. A number of different stimulation techniques have been reported in the literature to treat this area, but due to the complex anatomy of the region, it can be difficult to target effectively with paresthesias. ⋯ Dorsal nerve root stimulation is an effective long-term treatment for neuropathic groin pain.
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Glial activation is hypothesized to contribute directly to opioid withdrawal. This study investigated the dose-dependent effects of a glial cell modulator, ibudilast, on withdrawal symptoms in opioid-dependent volunteers after abrupt discontinuation of morphine administration. Non-treatment-seeking heroin-dependent volunteers (n = 31) completed the in-patient, double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject and between-group study. ⋯ Ibudilast was well tolerated; no serious adverse events occurred during the study. Pharmacological modulation of glial activity with ibudilast decreased some subjective ratings of opioid withdrawal symptoms. These exploratory findings are the first to demonstrate the potential clinical utility of glial modulators for treating opioid withdrawal in humans.
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The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) are routinely used in diagnosing illicit substance use disorders, but for people taking prescribed opioids they remain controversial. In pain medicine, the concept of "Addiction" is preferred with reduced emphasis on tolerance and withdrawal. This article examines the prevalence and characteristics of pharmaceutical opioid dependence/disorder according to ICD, DSM, and the pain medicine concept of "Addiction," among chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) patients prescribed opioids. ⋯ Participants meeting the criteria for "Addiction" only were older, less likely to engage in nonadherent behaviours, self-reported fewer problems or concerns with their medication, and had lower rates of psychological distress than those who also met the DSM-5 and ICD-11 criteria. The definition of "Addiction" captures a larger group of patients than other classification systems and includes people with fewer "risk" behaviours. Despite removal of tolerance and withdrawal for prescribed opioid use for DSM-5, we found that "Addiction" was more closely related to an ICD-11 diagnosis of pharmaceutical opioid dependence.
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Intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of opioids for control of intractable cancer pain has been used since 1982. We present here our experience of intracerebroventricular administration of pain treatments including ziconotide associated with morphine and ropivacaine for patients resistant to a conventional approach, with nociceptive, neuropathic, or mixed pain. These clinical cases were conducted with patients suffering from refractory pain, more than 6/10 on a numerical pain rating scale (NPRS) while on high-dose medical treatment and/or intolerance with significant side effects from oral medication. ⋯ Minor side effects were initially observed but transiently. One psychiatric agitation required discontinuation of ziconotide infusion. For intractable pain, using ziconotide by intracerebroventricular infusion seems safe and efficient, specifically for chronic neoplastic pain of cervicocephalic, thoracic, or diffuse origin and also for pain arising from a central neuropathic mechanism.
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Observational Study
Trends in long-term opioid prescribing in primary care patients with musculoskeletal conditions: an observational database study.
Long-term opioids may benefit patients with chronic pain but have also been linked to harmful outcomes. In the United Kingdom, the predominant source of opioids is primary care prescription. The objective was to examine changes in the incidence, length, and opioid potency of long-term prescribing episodes for musculoskeletal conditions in UK primary care (2002-2013). ⋯ This study has uniquely shown an increase in prescribing long-term opioids to 2009, gradually decreasing from 2011 in the United Kingdom. The trend was towards increased prescribing of controlled long-acting opioids and earlier use. Further research into the risks and benefits of opioids is required.