Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Oct 1997
Clinical TrialTransdermal fentanyl as treatment for chronic low back pain.
Management of chronic low back pain often includes oral opioid use. The effectiveness of therapy is dependent upon compliance, which in turn is dependent upon response, side effects, access, and convenience. Our hypothesis was that a transdermal fentanyl system would provide more effective pain management than oral opioids. ⋯ Significant improvement in pain relief and disability was found with transdermal fentanyl compared with oral opioids. Mild opioid side effects were common, but easily controlled. Use of transdermal fentanyl is an effective alternative to oral opioids for managing chronic low back pain.