Journal of pain & palliative care pharmacotherapy
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Mar 2024
Alpha Alert: Utilization of Transdermal Clonidine for Refractory Agitation.
Alpha-2 agonists are under-recognized for their class effects yet offer potential benefit in specialty palliative care via decreasing sympathetic output, inducing sedation, and modulating pain. Especially in clinical contexts where agitation predominates and patients are intolerant of oral medication route, transdermal medication delivery is advantageous. We report a case of agitated behaviors in setting of mixed Alzheimer/vascular-type dementia limiting hospital discharge to nursing facility that were ameliorated with transdermal clonidine. We suggest palliative clinicians routinely conceptualize the seemingly disparate alpha-2 agonists as a class for effective symptom palliation especially as new clinical evidence becomes available.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Mar 2024
Addressing the Critical Gap: Ensuring Urgent Access to Palliative Care Services with Essential Medications in Nepal.
Palliative care is essential for life-threatening illnesses. However, Nepal still faces significant challenges in accessing primary palliative care services, including required medications, particularly in rural areas. This commentary highlights the need for policies and guidelines to ensure equitable access to palliative care with medicines. ⋯ However, these efforts are currently limited in scale. We recommend including essential palliative care medicines in government healthcare policies, establishing training programs for healthcare professionals, and developing comprehensive policies with detailed field research work to meet the growing demand. Addressing these issues will significantly improve the quality of life for palliative care patients in Nepal.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Mar 2024
Case ReportsUse of Fosaprepitant for Management of Suspected Antimicrobial-Associated Nausea: A Case Report.
Intractable nausea can occur in numerous settings. We report on a 49-year-old woman with a past medical history of cystic fibrosis (CF) with chronic hypoxia, chronic nausea, complex infection history and frequent hospitalizations who was admitted to an academic medical center with a CF exacerbation. Her chronic nausea worsened with the use of antimicrobials, and she was unable to tolerate dopamine or serotonin antagonist antiemetics. ⋯ Fosaprepitant is a substance P/neurokinin-1 (NK1) receptor antagonist that is FDA-approved for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and has been used to prevent post-operative nausea and vomiting. Its use in other contexts has not been well established. This case suggests a role for fosaprepitant in the management of nausea outside the context of chemotherapy or general anesthesia.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Mar 2024
Data-Based Opioid Risk Review in Patients with Chronic Pain: A Retrospective Chart Review.
A retrospective, cohort, single center, chart review was conducted to compare rates of opioid-associated serious adverse events (SAEs) in a patient cohort 6 months before and 6 months after data-based opioid risk review. The primary objective was the composite reduction in opioid-related SAEs including suicide-related events and opioid overdoses. The impact of the reviews was assessed via multivariate logistic regression and a McNemar's test to analyze difference in rates of opioid-associated SAEs. ⋯ The HR for suicide-related events and opioid-related SAEs when opioid therapy was discontinued were 9.95 (2.16-45.94, p = 0.009) and 15.64 (1.09-225.19, p = 0.001) respectively when compared to continuation of opioids. This study showed that data-based opioid risk review may reduce incidence of opioid-related SAEs in patients with chronic pain. Additionally, opioid tapers and discontinuations are significant risk factors for suicide-related events and opioid-related SAEs.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Mar 2024
ReviewReview of Dopamine Antagonists for Nausea and Vomiting in Palliative Care Patients.
Symptoms of nausea and vomiting are common in palliative care and hospice patients. One of the many classes of medications used for the treatment of nausea and vomiting is dopamine receptor antagonists which are particularly helpful for treating nausea mediated by the chemoreceptor trigger zone (CTZ) and impaired gastrointestinal function. While dopamine antagonists can be very effective treatments for nausea they should be used with caution as they carry the risk of QTc prolongation, have a FDA black box warning for tardive dyskinesia (TD), and increased risk of precipitating psychosis and death in patients with dementia. ⋯ This includes medication receptor site affinities at histaminic, muscarinic, serotonergic, and alpha-adrenergic receptors which can help providers anticipate potential adverse effects and risk of extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS), TD, and QTc prolongation. This review also includes considerations for dose adjustments based on renal function, hepatic function, and age. Understanding the pharmacology of dopamine antagonists can help providers choose the best treatment for control of nausea and vomiting and subsequently improve patients' quality of life.