Posts tagged Chronic Pain
FDA Limits Acetaminophen in Prescription Pain Meds
Officials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have announced that they will lower the maximum amount of acetaminophen permitted in narcotic painkillers such as Percocet and Vicodin. The FDA made this move because of reports of severe liver damage linked to acetaminophen in these combination drugs. Currently, combination opioid/acetaminophen painkillers can contain as much as 750 mg of acetaminophen, but over the next three years, the More >
Painkillers Darvon and Darvocet Pulled from Market
Drugmaker Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals has voluntarily pulled the opioid-based painkillers Darvon and Darvocet from the U.S. market after the drugs were linked to potentially deadly heart rhythms. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also asked makers of generic versions of the drug–called propoxyphene–to stop selling the medication. FDA officials say recent clinical trial evidence has led them to conclude that the benefits of the meds no More >
Zen Meditation May Help Pain Control
Researchers have found that people who practice Zen meditation continue to feel pain, but they do not think about it as much as people who don’t engage in the activity. Using MRI scans, the scientists found that though meditators were aware of pain, the sensation wasn’t processed in the parts of their brain responsible for reasoning, appraisal, or memory formation. The researchers believe this means that meditation cuts the process of pain sensation More >
12 Health and Safety Tips for the Holiday Season
Experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are urging Americans to pay special attention to their health and to be safe this holiday season. That’s why they’ve come up with this list of 12 health and safety tips for the holiday season. The list is available as a downloadable holiday song, as a podcast, and as an easy-to-use holiday e-card.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/cold-flu/news-543300-98.html
Opioid Pain Meds Linked to Increased Health Risks
Results from two new studies suggest that Medicare patients who take narcotic painkillers such as Vicodin, Oxycontin, or codeine have increased health risks, including heart problems, fractures, and death compared to people who take other kinds of painkillers. But one pain expert says this finding does not reflect the experiences of doctors who prescribe the meds, and researchers admit they are uncertain if the opioid pain meds are directly responsible More >
Children’s Motrin, Benadryl and Rolaids Softchews Recalled
Johnson & Johnson has issued a recall of 4 million Children’s Benadryl Allergy Fastmelt Tablets, 800,000 Junior Strength Motrin Caplets, and 71,000 Extra Strength Rolaids softchews. Company officials say this latest recall is at the wholesale and retail levels, but that consumers can still use the medications and they are still effective. The company said it found “unspecified problems” with the Motrin and Benadryl products, while the Rolaids were More >
Nearly Half of Elderly Report Pain in Final Months
A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine has found that pain is a common symptom during many elderly people’s last years of life, and reports of pain increase during the final few months. In their study, investigators discovered that a little over 25 percent of people reported being “troubled” by moderate to severe pain in the two years before their death. But this rate jumped to nearly 50 percent in the four months before death. The scientists More >
Gout Cases on the Rise in United States: Study
According to a new study, more and more Americans are being diagnosed with the painful and sometimes disabling arthritic condition known as gout. Researchers presenting evidence at the American College of Rheumatology’s annual meeting found that 3.9 percent of U.S. population experienced gout attacks in 2008, compared to only 2.7 percent of Americans in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Scientists say the increased consumption of coffee and sweetened More >
Implanted Drug May Ease Opioid Addiction
According to a new study, implanting the addiction drug buprenorphine in people who are addicted to narcotic painkillers or heroin appears to reduce their cravings, at least for a short time. Researchers say that delivering a low, continuous dose of the drug may help reduce the risk that patients who are addicted to these drugs will relapse after missing doses of or stopping the addiction-treatment med.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/news-540465-98.html
Two Thirds of Spinal Fractures Misdiagnosed
According to the International Osteoporosis Association, two thirds of spinal fractures go undiagnosed and untreated. Many are misdiagnosed as arthritis or as simple back pain, and many of the patients who are diagnosed with spinal fracture have osteoporosis that is missed by their doctor. Researchers say undiagnosed spinal fractures increase the risk of disability and of future fractures.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/news-540092-98.html
Forteo May Help Regrow Jaw Bone
The osteoporosis drug Forteo may help regrow bone that has been damaged by jaw-bone destroying conditions such as osteonecrosis and periodontitis, researchers say. One study found that patients with periodontitis developed 10 times more bone around their teeth when taking Forteo than those who did not take the drug. The other study, which included only one person, found that Forteo helped reverse the jaw bone damage that may have been caused by her More >
Romantic Love Helps Ease Pain: Study
Being “head-over-heels” in love can act as a natural painkiller, a new study has found. Researchers enrolled a group of Stanford University undergraduates for their study and found that being in love activates the same dopamine-oriented brain centers that are affected by illegal drugs such as cocaine. The scientists say these pain-relieving systems are tied to the brain’s reward and craving systems, similar to those involved in addiction. They hope More >
Some Lots of Tylenol 8-Hour Caplets Recalled
Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson is voluntarily recalling approximately 128,000 lots of Tylenol 8-Hour caplets because of reports of a moldy odor. The company states that the recall is only a precaution, and that the possibility of adverse reactions from taking the over-the-counter painkillers is remote. Johnson & Johnson is currently facing a congressional probe over quality-control lapses that have led to recalls of Tylenol, Motrin, and the Allergy med More >
How to Ease Back Pain at Work
Statistics suggest that four in five women who work on a computer daily will suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. But experts say there are things people can do to help ease this work-related pain. In this slideshow, experts give 12 simple ways people can help reduce their back pain at work. The list includes such tips as planting the feet while seated, taking breaks, and moving the computer mouse closer to the keyboard and monitor. More >
FDA Wants More Data on Extended Release Tapentadol
Officials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have asked drugmaker Johnson & Johnson for more information on a new extended release form of the Chronic Pain treatment tapentadol. FDA regulators say they want more data on the conversion of the extended release formula to one that is harder to break or crush. Johnson & Johnson is seeking approval of the medication for the management of moderate to severe chronic pain in adults.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/news-538730-98.html
‘Self-Touch’ May Ease Pain: Study
British researchers say an unusual practice of touching three fingers on one hand to three fingers on the other hand may reduce people’s feelings of pain. In a recent study, study participants were placed in a situation in which they thought they were experiencing extreme heat. The scientists found that those who touched all three fingers to the same fingers on the other hand felt 64 percent less painful heat than those who did not practice this form More >
Immune Response Linked to Post-Op Pain: Study
Nerve inflammation may be the cause of the pain, numbness, and weakness some patients experience after surgery, researchers say. These symptoms had previously been thought to be caused by compression or stretching of nerves during surgery. But in a new study, researchers found that these postsurgical neuropathies are the result of the immune system attacking the affected nerves, which leads to inflammation. Mayo Clinic researchers say their finding More >
10 Million Fisher Price Toys Recalled
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is reporting that Fisher Price has initiated an “unprecedented” recall of more than 10 million toys, tricycles, and high chairs. Seven million of the recalled products involve Fisher-Price Trikes and Tough Trikes toddler tricycles, which have a plastic key that juts out near the trikes’ seat. The key has been reported to cause injuries such as genital bleeding. Other recalled products include more than More >
Task Force Finds Further Bisphosphonate, Fracture Link
A new study suggests an even clearer link between osteoporosis-related bisphosphonates and thigh fractures than before. A task force looked at 310 patients who’d suffered a rare thigh fracture and found that 94 percent of them had been on bisphosphonates. Despite the study evidence, experts say that the medications do help prevent more common fractures, and that patients should continue to take them. The task for is recommending that the FDA change More >
FDA Approves New Drug for Gout
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug called Krystexxa to treat serious cases of gout. Statistics suggest that about three percent of the three million adults who have this extremely painful form of arthritis are not helped by standard treatments. Krystexxa is only the second drug approved to treat gout in the past 40 years.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/news-536870-98.html
Ablation May Offer Hope to Chronic Pain Patients
A procedure known as radiofrequency ablation may offer hope to some people who suffer from chronic pain, researchers say. Radiofrequency ablation involves burning off the nerves that are causing the pain. Scientists say that though the treatment doesn’t repair the nerve damage, it temporarily stops the brain from responding to the body’s pain signals. Studies have shown that up to 70 percent of patients who undergo this procedure can cut back on their More >
ER Visits for Abdominal Pain on the Rise: Study
Results from a new government report show that the number of Americans who visited emergency rooms for abdominal pain rose by more than 31 percent between 1999-2000 and 2007-2008, while ER visits involving chest pain decreased during this same time period. Researchers also found that the use of advanced imaging techniques rose during the study period, and they say more research is needed to clarify how much the use of these devices is affecting the More >
Researchers Identify Risks for Pain Med Addiction
According to a new study in the journal Addiction, people who are most vulnerable to painkiller addiction share four primary risk factors. Researchers found that people who are under age 65, who have a history of depression, who have prior drug abuse, and who use psychiatric meds are more likely to become addicted to painkillers. The scientist found that people with these risk factors have addiction rates that are as high as 26 percent.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/news-536327-98.html