Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Lidocaine patch 5% with systemic analgesics such as gabapentin: a rational polypharmacy approach for the treatment of chronic pain.
To assess the effectiveness and safety of the lidocaine patch 5%, a targeted peripheral analgesic, in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia, painful diabetic neuropathy, and low back pain patients with incomplete responses to their current analgesic treatment regimen containing gabapentin. ⋯ Results of this study highlight the potential advantages achieved with rational polypharmacy using a targeted peripheral analgesic, the lidocaine patch 5%, with centrally acting agents such as the anticonvulsant gabapentin. Controlled trials are warranted to further define the impact of such combination therapy.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Conversion to oral controlled-release oxycodone from intravenous opioid analgesic in the postoperative setting.
This study assessed conversion factors utilized by physicians to transfer postoperative patients from intravenous opioids to oral controlled-release (CR) oxycodone and the subsequent analgesic effectiveness. ⋯ Administered at least 12 hours following abdominal, orthopedic, or gynecologic surgery, an initial oral CR oxycodone dose calculated by multiplying the amount of IV morphine used in the previous 24 hours (immediate postoperative period) by a conversion factor of 1.2, on average, provided adequate pain control during the subsequent 12-hour dosing interval and for a maximum of 7 days. Adverse events were consistent with opioid side effects.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Effectiveness and safety of new oxycodone/acetaminophen formulations with reduced acetaminophen for the treatment of low back pain.
To evaluate the analgesic effectiveness/safety of the new oxycodone 7.5- and 10-mg/acetaminophen 325-mg (Percocet) formulations in patients with low back pain (LBP) suboptimally responsive to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants, tramadol, cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors, and/or prn opioids. ⋯ The primary purpose of this study was to preliminarily test the effectiveness of the new formulations of oxycodone/acetaminophen with reduced acetaminophen in the clinical practice setting. The results from this trial suggest that these formulations are effective in the treatment of moderate-to-severe chronic LBP. Most patients (67%) reported significant pain relief/tolerable side effects with a TID dosing frequency or less (mean: 3.04 doses/day), suggesting chronic pain patients can experience meaningful pain relief with around-the-clock dosing of oxycodone/acetaminophen and minimal risk of hepatotoxicity. Further long-term, controlled studies of the efficacy/safety of the new formulations of oxycodone/acetaminophen in LBP are warranted to fully characterize efficacy in this patient population and corroborate the findings from our study.