Articles: opioid.
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Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol · Jan 2008
Clinical pharmacology of fentanyl buccal tablet for the treatment of breakthrough pain.
Fentanyl buccal tablet (FBT) is a new formulation of fentanyl providing rapid-onset analgesia for the treatment of breakthrough pain. FBT has been approved for the management of breakthrough pain in patients with cancer who are already receiving and who are tolerant to opioid therapy for underlying persistent pain. FBT has demonstrated a favorable pharmacokinetic profile, which is closely aligned to the rapid onset and duration of an episode of breakthrough pain, and is generally safe and well tolerated.
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Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is one of the most distressing morbidities associated with surgery. Even though the incidence can be as high as 30% elsewhere no work has been done to assess the incidence in any health facility in Ghana. This study was carried out to find out the incidence, risk factors and the management of PONV in a tertiary healthcare facility. ⋯ Thirty-four percent of patients in the study had PONV indicating that the problem is not uncommon among post-surgical patients in KBTH. Awareness of the problem should be highlighted and adequate management should be given to all patients. Patients at risk should be identified and appropriate management instituted.
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Background. Expert panels of physicians and nonphysicians in the field of intrathecal therapies convened in 2000 and 2003 to make recommendations for the rational use of intrathecal analgesics based on the preclinical and clinical literature known up to those times. An expert panel of physicians convened in 2007 to update previous recommendations and to form guidelines for the rational use of intrathecal opioid and nonopioid agents. ⋯ Results. The panelists, after review of the literature from 2000 to 2006 and discussion, created an updated algorithm for the rational use of intrathecal opioid and nonopioid agents in patients with nonmalignant and end-of-life pain. Of note is that the panelists felt that ziconotide, based on new and relevant literature and experience, should be updated to a line one intrathecal drug.
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Chronic, noncancer pain such as that associated with osteoarthritis of the hip and knee is typically managed according to American College of Rheumatology guidelines. Patients unresponsive to first-line treatment with acetaminophen receive nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors. However, many patients may have chronic pain that is refractory to these agents, or they may be at risk for the gastrointestinal, renal, and cardiovascular complications associated with their use. ⋯ Unlike nonselective NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors, tramadol ER is not associated with gastrointestinal, renal, or cardiovascular complications. Although tramadol is an opioid agonist, significant abuse has not been demonstrated after long-term therapy. It is concluded that tramadol ER has an efficacy and safety profile that warrants its early use for the management of chronic pain, either alone or in conjunction with nonselective NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors.
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Office-based buprenorphine-naloxone (Suboxone) treatment in the United States has significantly improved access to safe and effective opioid-dependence therapy. Little data from physicians' experiences prescribing Suboxone in private offices have been available. This retrospective chart review describes a family practitioner's first 2 years of clinical experience prescribing Suboxone for opioid dependence to 71 patients in a private office. ⋯ There were no safety, medication abuse, or diversion issues detected. Overall, office-based Suboxone therapy was easily implemented and the physician considered the experience excellent. Suboxone maintenance was associated with good treatment retention and significantly reduced opioid use, and it is helping to reach patients, including injection drug users, without histories of agonist substitution therapy.