Journal of pain & palliative care pharmacotherapy
-
J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Dec 2021
ReviewPain Management Strategies in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Narrative Review.
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation and progressive deterioration of the joints, which generates pain and stiffness. The origin of this pain is multifactorial, with inflammation, secondary osteoarthritis, as well as central and peripheral sensitization playing important roles in the development. Up to 90.4% of RA patients visit a health professional for severe pain, and despite new therapies and sophisticated treatments, there are a limited number of options for analgesic management. ⋯ DMARDs are the mainstay of RA treatment, although many patients continue to experience pain despite optimal management. Medications such as glucocorticoids, NSAIDs, topical capsaicin, and weak opioids are key elements when achieving analgesia in RA. Other pharmacological groups such as neuromodulators, antidepressants, muscle relaxants and cannabinoids currently do not have enough evidence to be recommended.
-
J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Sep 2021
ReviewDexmedetomidine as an Analgesic Agent with Neuroprotective Properties: Experimental and Clinical Aspects.
Dexmedetomidine (Dexdor or Precedex®) is considered as a sedative agent which is widely used as an adjuvant in general anesthesia and critical care practice. There is extensive evidence indicating its neuroprotective properties especially in various ischemic and hemorrhagic brain injury models of animals. ⋯ The present article reviews the recent advances in the use of DEX as a neuroprotective agent in both animal and human studies including newest findings about the mechanism of the drug as well as analgesic efficacy of this drug at all perioperative stages. In spite of the beneficial effects of the drug on the nervous system, there are potential adverse effects, such as hypotension and bradycardia, which can be treated pharmacologically and must be taken into consideration by clinicians.
-
J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Sep 2021
ReviewA Recent Update on Drug Delivery Systems for Pain Management.
Pain remains a global health challenge affecting approximately 1.5 billion people worldwide. Pain has been an implicit variable in the equation of human life for many centuries considering different types and the magnitude of pain. Therefore, developing an efficacious drug delivery system for pain management remains an open challenge for researchers in the field of medicine. ⋯ This literature review firstly provides a brief introduction of pain as a sensation and its pharmacological interventions. Second, it highlights the most recent studies in the pharmaceutical field for pain management and serves as a strong base for future developments. Herein, we have classified drug delivery systems based on their sizes such as nano, micro, and macro systems, and for each of the reviewed systems, design, formulation strategies, and drug release performance has been discussed.
-
J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Jun 2021
ReviewThe Risk of QTc Prolongation with Antiemetics in the Palliative Care Setting: A Narrative Review.
Nausea and vomiting are common within the palliative care population. Antiemetic agents may help control symptoms, but may also place patients at risk for QTc prolongation. This article reviews pharmacotherapy agents including anticholinergics, antihistamines, antidopaminergics, 5-HT3 receptor antagonists, dronabinol, and medical marijuana and their associated risk of QTc prolongation. A clinical treatment pathway is provided to help guide clinicians in choosing the most appropriate antiemetic based upon patient specific factors for QTc prolongation.
-
J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Jun 2021
ReviewSubstance Abuse Risk and Medication Monitoring in Patients with Advanced Lung Cancer Receiving Palliative Care.
Oncology and Palliative Medicine lack guidance on routine opioid risk screening and compliance monitoring. This study explored relationships among risk screening and aberrant medication related behaviors in patients with advanced lung cancer receiving embedded palliative care. This was a single center, prospective study and data was collected from December 2018 to March 2020. ⋯ After pharmacist review, aberrant baseline UDS results were confirmed for 5/11 (45.5%) positive-risk and 4/23 (17.4%) negative-risk patients (p = 0.11). Overall, the SOAPP-R alone may be inadequate in this population and clinical pharmacists play an important role in comprehensive UDS result interpretation. Future studies are needed to validate this risk-screening tool in palliative cancer populations.