Recap of recent pain-related news:
The Pain Medication Conundrum
Source: The New York Times – 8/13
“My patient Mr. W. wheeled himself into my office for a checkup. He’d lost a leg to diabetes and was also juggling hypertension, obesity, vascular disease and elevated cholesterol. He was an amiably cranky fellow in his mid-60s who’d used heroin in the past though had been clean for decades. As we finished up and I handed him his stack of prescriptions, he said, “Oh, by the way, Dr. Ofri, I was wondering if you could prescribe me the oxycodone I use for my back.” Oxycodone? In the six months I’d known him, I hadn’t been aware that he was taking narcotic pain medication.” Read
NIH: More than 1 in 10 American adults experience chronic pain
Source: NIH; reported by The Washington Post – 8/11
“America is a nation in pain, according to a new analysis by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. How much pain, exactly? More than 25 million American adults — about 11.2 percent — reported having pain every day for the previous three months. Researchers said the same data suggests that more than 23 million Americans felt ‘a lot’ of pain in the preceding months, and more than 126 million — or more than half of all U.S. adults — reported experiencing some sort of pain during the same period.” Read
DEA Testifies On Legitimate Prescription Drug Denials
Source: WESH.com – 8/10
“The DEA is not backing down. Susan Langston with the DEA offered a prepared statement to patients who are unable to get legitimate pain medication. ‘Your voices have been heard by the DEA loud and clear,’ Langston said.” Read
Fibromyalgia Symptoms May Mimic High Disease Activity in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis
Source: Study from European League Against Rheumatism Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR); Fibromyalgia News Today – 8/8
“Results from a recent study presented at European League Against Rheumatism Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) showed that fibromyalgia symptoms may mimic high disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In the study, researchers assessed a population of 122 RA patients. The patients’ diagnosis was confirmed with the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) / American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2010 criteria.” Read
Gabapentin Has Therapeutic Benefits in Some Patients With Neuropathic Pain and Fibromyalgia
Source: Published in The Cochrane Library by researchers at the University of Oxford and Imperial College London in the United Kingdom, and the Technische Universität München in Germany; reported by Fibromyalgia News Today – 8/6
“Researchers found that gabapentin therapy (doses of 1200 mg or more) was effective as a pain reliever in some patients with chronic neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, post-herpetic neuralgia (chronic pain following shingles) and painful diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage linked to diabetes). Concerning other pain conditions there was insufficient data to draw any conclusions.” Read
Research Abstract: The Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioural Treatment for Non-Specific Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Source: PubMed.gov – 8/5
“CB interventions yield long-term improvements in pain, disability and quality of life in comparison to no treatment and other guideline-based active treatments for patients with LBP of any duration and of any age.” Read
The post This Week in Pain: August 13, 2015 appeared first on American Academy of Pain Management.