Articles: opioid.
-
Research on substance abusers in treatment suggests that tapentadol, a prescription analgesic, may have relatively low abuse potential. Messages posted by recreational drug abusers on online forums were examined for amount of discussion and endorsement for abuse of tapentadol and comparator drugs. ⋯ Recreational abusers posting on web forums appear to be less interested in abusing tapentadol when compared with other, selected prescription analgesics based on the amount of discussion (i.e., fewer posts and authors mentioning tapentadol). Endorsement of the product for abuse was also low.
-
The treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI)-induced neuropathic pain presents a challenging healthcare problem. The lack of available robust pharmacological treatments underscores the need for novel therapeutic methods and approaches. Due to the complex character of neuropathic pain following SCI, therapies targeting multiple mechanisms may be a better choice for obtaining sufficient long-term pain relief. Previous studies in our lab showed analgesic effects using combinations of an NMDA antagonist peptide [Ser1]histogranin (SHG), and the mu-opioid peptides endomorphins (EMs), in several pain models. As an alternative to drug therapy, this study evaluated the analgesic potential of these peptides when delivered via gene therapy. ⋯ Findings from this study support the potential for direct gene therapy to provide a robust and sustained alleviation of chronic neuropathic pain following SCI. The combination strategy utilizing potent mu-opioid peptides with a naturally-derived NMDA antagonist may produce additive or synergistic analgesic effects without the tolerance development for long-term management of persistent pain.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2015
Why people accept opioids: role of general attitudes toward drugs, experience as a bereaved family, information from medical professionals, and personal beliefs regarding a good death.
Many surveys have evaluated patient-related barriers to pain management. ⋯ More than 90% of bereaved families whose relatives were treated with opioid analgesics reported a preference to receive opioid analgesics for the treatment of cancer pain, if necessary, in the future.
-
Women experience chronic pain and use pain-related health care at higher rates than men. It is not known whether the pain-related health care female veterans receive is consistent with clinical practice guideline recommendations or whether receipt of this care differs between men and women. ⋯ Findings suggest that female VHA patients are more likely to receive an array of pain management practices than male patients, including both contraindicated and recommended polypharmacy. Quality improvement efforts to address underutilization of mental health and rehabilitative services for pain by male patients and polypharmacy in female patients should be considered.
-
J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Jan 2015
Case ReportsOpioid-Induced Hyperalgesia: A Diagnostic Dilemma.
Opioids are utilized frequently for the treatment of moderate to severe acute pain in the perioperative setting, as well as in the treatment of cancer-related pain. When prescribing chronic opioid therapy to patients with chronic pain, it is crucial for the practitioner to be aware not only of the issues of tolerance and withdrawal, but also to have knowledge of the possibility for opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH). ⋯ In this case, high-dose opioid therapy did not improve chronic pain and contributed to a hyperalgesic state in which a young man experienced severe intractable pain postoperatively after two routine thoracotomies, despite aggressive pharmacologic measures to manage his perioperative pain. Furthermore, it illustrates the potential advantages of opioid rotation to methadone when OIH is suspected.