Current medical research and opinion
-
Opioid therapy is the standard treatment for moderate-to-severe cancer pain and is becoming a more frequent treatment for moderate-to-severe chronic noncancer pain. Response to opioids varies significantly between patients and even within the individual patient at different stages of treatment. Finding an opioid at a dose that provides adequate long-term analgesia with minimal adverse effects can be difficult. Opioid switching and opioid rotation, at different stages of therapy, represent two clinical strategies used to optimize opioid response for patients with moderate-to-severe pain. ⋯ The variability in de novo clinical response to opioids likely represents the interaction of the varying properties of the individual opioids with the variability in individual patient biology. This interaction forms the rationale for opioid switching and explains its clinical utility. As with opioid switching, success with opioid rotation is related to the myriad of factors determining an individual patient's response to a specific opioid. However, the benefits of opioid rotation also derive from a partial reversal of tolerance at the mu-opioid receptor and the response of different micro-opioid receptor subtypes to the different opioids.
-
Review Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Systematic review and meta-analysis of the clinical safety and tolerability of ibuprofen compared with paracetamol in paediatric pain and fever.
The main aim of this review was to compare the tolerability and safety between ibuprofen and paracetamol when used as anti-pyretic and analgesic agents in children up to 18 years of age. ⋯ Ibuprofen, paracetamol and placebo have similar tolerability and safety profiles in terms of gastrointestinal symptoms, asthma and renal adverse effects. While the study data investigated here may not reflect over-the-counter use, these results are still relevant in the context of any safety concerns relating to general ibuprofen or paracetamol treatment in children.