Caitlyn Fitzpatrick

Multiple sclerosis is perceived differently by the patient and physician – after all, they’re in two different boats. However, this disconnect could make managing the disease a more complicated journey.

There has never been a randomized, controlled study that compared natalizumab and fingolimod for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) – until now at ECTRIMS 2016 in London, England.

In a study led by Jérôme de Seze, MD, PhD, from the University Hospital of Strasbourg in France, researchers aimed to uncover more information on the medication, ocrelizumab, in patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS).

Recent findings have shown that vitamin D supplements improve multiple sclerosis (MS) relapse rates, however, a new study questions when those levels come into play.

“Although the etiology of multiple sclerosis (MS) remains elusive, it is clear that Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) and possibly other viruses have a role in the pathogenesis of MS,” researchers started a presentation at ECTRIMS 2016 in London, England.

Studies tend to yield better results than those found in a real-world setting. So to find “real” clinical outcomes with teriflunomide in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers conducted a phase 4 trial.

Delayed-release dimethyl fumarate (DMF) has yielded positive results in multiple sclerosis (MS) studies, however, the data has been limited to a particular population.

Multiple sclerosis in itself has not shown to increase spontaneous abortions, stillbirth, cesarean delivery, premature birth, or birth defects – but what about the treatments?

A phase 3 study presented at PAINWeek 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada, showed the benefits of using an electronic tracking system.

Whether it’s drugs or procedures, there are different strategies for managing chronic pain. However, when psychological symptoms come into play, treatment may need to take an alternative course.

In a perfect world, the pain data provided by diagnostic tests would match up with how a patient is actually feeling. However, the association is probably not as strong as doctors would like.

Researchers behind the potential new opioid, cebranopadol, presented efficacy and safety results at PAINWeek 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Oxycodone is one opioid option for patients with chronic pain and other conditions. The drug, however, has not been extensively studied in older patients.

Different types of pain respond to different medications; so a collaborative team across the United States and United Kingdom looked at how the Chronic Pain Questionnaire (CPQ) can assist in making those important treatment decisions.

There’s many benefits to using nitrous oxide for analgesia – which is why it’s a staple for dentists. Dubbed “laughing gas,” the tasteless, colorless gas has proven to be safe and effective for both adults and children.

It may seem like opioids could be a “quick fix” for acute low back pain, but introducing the drugs early on increases the risk for dependency and addiction.

When a patient presents at the emergency room with severe pain, there are various things to take into consideration before deciding on a course of action. But there are new options out there that probably aren’t at the forefront of your thinking.

Presented at PAINWeek 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada, researchers looked at how turmeric could be used as a safer, more tolerable option for pain control.

In March 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published new guidelines for prescribing opioids. And while the aim is to curb the deadly opioid epidemic, some physicians saying that the changes could cause other prescription issues.

Oxycodone, morphine, hydrocodone, and codeine are among the commonly recognized prescription painkillers. But levorphanol is one that has been around since 1953, yet is often left behind for a newer medication.

The subjectivity of pain is just one of the reasons that it’s challenging to manage. A common strategy comes in the form of prescription drugs, which poses its own set of challenges. Therefore, it isn’t clear how well opioids actually work.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) created the Guidance for the Assessment of Abuse Potential of drugs for patients who have a history of recreational opioid use. But does the strategy actually work?

Tuberculosis (TB) is of particular concern for patients with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), as it’s a leading cause of death in people with HIV worldwide.

Despite the availability of several treatment options, many people with migraine aren’t satisfied with their outcomes, according to the national Migraine in America 2016 survey created by Health Union.

In many cases, the latest treatments for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are at least 90% effective at curing the infection; however, there still remains a subset of patients who don’t respond to the new medications.

The MD Magazine editors rounded up the 10 best stories from August – did you read them all?

It’s no secret that excessive alcohol consumption is dangerous to the liver; that’s exactly why patients with hepatitis C are advised to steer clear of it.

A recent study published in The Journal of Pain looked at the effect of marijuana treatment on neuropathic pain.

Dormant viruses dodge the immune system, and although these viruses don’t actively replicate, the problem is that they also don’t produce a chemical signal which would tell the antiretroviral therapy (ART) to attack them.

Adverse side effects are a potential risk with nearly every medication, so scientists from the University of Oxford in England looked at if this phenomenon occurs in common drugs that are used to treat the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).