Chronic Pain

Although they have all participated in the development of treatment guidelines for a variety of pain conditions, 3 comprehensive pain experts openly acknowledged and discussed the practical limitations of published evidence-based recommendations during the closing session of the American Academy of Pain Medicine 2014 Annual Meeting.

Reducing high-dose opioid therapy does not worsen pain severity, functional ability, or aberrant drug-related behaviors in chronic pain patients when concurrent biopsychosocial services are offered.

Sometimes, chronic pain patients intentionally magnify or downplay their physical and mental symptoms during office visits. Despite that fact, little attention in the clinical setting is paid to underlying motives for positively or negatively biased self-reports.

Even if a chronic pain patient had been taking opioid medications exactly as prescribed, it would still be possible for the patient to experience negative cognitive and emotional responses to dose tapering that could amplify sensory pain and lead to opioid addiction.

In light of the fact that many physicians continue to rely on observational analysis and patient self-reporting to monitor opioid addiction or misuse, results from a scientific poster reinforced the benefits of routine urine drug testing in improving compliance with prescribed opioid medications and ultimately enhancing pain care.

Preliminary research data revealed a significantly higher incidence of opioid-induced constipation among patients taking opioid analgesics for chronic non-cancer pain than self-reported constipation complaints suggest.

Although fibromyalgia lacks an effective standardized treatment, one part of the problem is the condition's diverse constellation of symptoms that include chronic widespread pain, fatigue, and even depression.

Older age, chronic corticosteroid use, severe trauma, abrasion, or some combination of red flags predict an increased risk of spinal fracture, but a prior history of malignancy is the only useful predictor of spinal malignancy.

A 40-member coalition partly comprised of physician experts on opioid addiction treatment and overdose prevention is asking the US Food and Drug Administration to rescind its approval of extended-release Zohydro (hydrocodone bitratrate), given the drug's perceived dangers to the public.

Researchers have identified a component of particular nociceptors associated with neuropathic pain that may act to naturally limit the severity of pain.

Is there a clinically significant interaction between morphine and clopidogrel?

A US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel has not found enough clinical evidence to conclude that naproxen presents a lower risk of cardiovascular (CV) thrombotic events than other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Results from a small study show that adding donepezil may provide additional analgesic relief for neuropathic pain patients who do not receive sufficient pain relief from gabapentin.

Meta-analysis of clinical trial data on the use of antidepressants and anticonvulsants for the treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy indicates gabapentin is the most efficacious agent for this condition, while the side effects associated with amitriptyline make it the least tolerable treatment option evaluated in the study.

Researchers from Finland find high depressive burden is associated with greater disability from the time of lumbar spinal stenosis surgery, including the 5-year point.

A small study found that patients with severe pain and fibromyalgia syndrome reported a marked reduction in pain with the cholecalciferol supplementation.

Acetaminophen toxicity is the second most common cause of liver failure requiring transplantation in the US.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first device to ease the pain of migraines preceded by aura.

An experimental combination treatment for central neuropathic pain (CNP) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients failed to show superiority to placebo in a phase 2 study.

While some low- to moderate-level evidence exists for the short-term use of opioids in low back pain, this well-done systematic review found no evidence to support their long-term use.

Though fewer than 10% of surgeons include information about the possibility of postoperative adhesion in their counseling, a systematic review shows patients who develop adhesions experience several complications.

Teens who reported chronic headache months after having concussions may have been taking too much pain medication, a new study suggests.

According to the authors of a recent study, almost 50% of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) say they have chronic pain, and over 75% of them rate it as being moderate to severe.

A recent study suggests that dialysis patients' use of opioid analgesics (OAs) is widespread and exceeding historical limits, and that the patients who use opioids are staying on them longer.

Will the approval of Zohydro benefit patients and physicians by providing another option for pain relief for patients with legitimate chronic pain needs, or will it spark a new wave of abuse, misuse, and diversion?

Noting that it takes an average of 5 years before a fibromyalgia patient receives a diagnosis, researchers conducted a retrospective data analysis to identify significant variables that may enable earlier detection and diagnosis of fibromyalgia.

Update on treatment planning, risk management, and ongoing monitoring for efficacy, safety, and adherence in patients treated with opioids for chronic, noncancer pain.

Group visits can be an especially effective tool for providing follow-up care to patients with chronic conditions, offering them increased access to clinicians and other providers, support and encouragement from their peers, and enhanced educational opportunities.

Local anesthetic wound infiltration is associated with postoperative pain scores comparable to those obtained through epidural analgesia.

Study shows that somatization and low job security are independently associated with low back pain prevalence.