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 >
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 >
FDA Approves Cymbalta for Chronic Joint, Muscle Pain
The antidepressant Cymbalta (duloxetine hydrochloride) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain from such conditions as osteoarthritis and lower back pain. Cymbalta has previously been approved to treat generalized Anxiety disorder, fibromyalgia, and diabetic pain.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/news-540531-98.html
Many Surgery Patients Feel ‘On Their Own’
Today, more than 65 percent of surgeries don’t require an overnight hospital stay, and even surgeries that once required weeks in the hospital now only require a few days. But experts say the body still requires the same amount of time to heal, and the trend toward short hospital stays is making patients responsible for more and more of their own recovery. In this article, a health reporter talks to these experts about how making patients who’ve undergone More >
Nearly 1 Million Fentanyl Pain Patches Recalled
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and drugmaker Actavis Inc. have announced that about one million Fentanyl patches used to treat such Chronic Pain conditions as arthritis and Cancer are being recalled from store and pharmacy shelves. Actavis voluntarily issued the recall after laboratory tests showed that the active ingredient in one batch of the patches was releasing medication into the bloodstream too quickly. This issue could cause a More >
Chronic Pain Affects Almost 70 Percent of Americans: Survey
A new poll from the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) suggests that nearly 70 percent of Americans say they or someone they care for experienced pain in the previous 30 days. The poll also showed that 48 percent of the people who responded do not believe that proper treatment can ease chronic pain, while 41 percent believe pain is simply a part of aging. Researchers also found that 34 percent of respondents believe that the side effects of pain 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 >
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
Bone Meds May Double Esophageal Cancer Risk
Taking osteoporosis medications in the class known as bisphosphonates for more than five years appears to double the risk of developing esophageal cancer, a new study has found. The study’s authors say it’s important for patients taking the drugs–which include Boniva, Fosamax, Reclast, and Actonel–to realize that the overall risk for developing esophageal is still very small. Typically, 1 person per 1,000 develops the disease, which means that doubling More >
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 >
Smoking Marijuana May Ease Chronic Pain
Scientists at McGill University in Montreal have found that smoking small amounts of marijuana may help people who are not getting enough relief from medications better reduce their pain. Chronic Pain patients in the study who used marijuana also fell asleep more easily and slept more soundly than those who did not use the drug, researchers reported.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/news-533315-98.html
Protecting Your Knees Early May Prevent Problems Later On
Statistics have shown that nearly half of adults develop arthritis in at least one knee by age 85, and this condition is even more likely if a person is obese. But experts say making lifestyle changes such as losing weight and doing lower impact exercises in your youth may help you prevent arthritis and knee replacements later in life.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/news-533021-98.html
FDA Panel Rejects New Drug for Fibromyalgia
Experts with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have rejected the drug Xyrem (sodium oxybate) as a treatment for fibromyalgia, saying the risks of the sleep medication outweigh its possible benefits for treating the Chronic Pain condition. Xyrem is currently approved as a treatment for excessive sleepiness, but its active ingredient can be used as both an illegal stimulant and a date rape drug. Access to the drug is limited, and the FDA experts More >
Tai Chi May Ease Fibromyalgia
A new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine suggests that the ancient, slow-movement practice of tai chi may be an effective therapy for fibromyalgia. Researchers found that fibromyalgia patients who did a 12-week trial of tai chi did significantly better in measurements of pain, fatigue, physical functioning, sleeplessness, and Depression than patients who did not do it.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/news-533019-98.html
Women More Affected by Chronic Pain: Study
According to a pain expert at the Atlanta Center for Behavioral Medicine, Chronic Pain occurs more often, last longer, and is more intense in women than it is in men. The expert also found that women are more likely to have several pain condition simultaneously, a factor that often leads to greater incidence of disability and more severe mental stress.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/news-532211-98.html
Painkillers, Statins May Distort Prostate Cancer Test Results
Men who regularly take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to control pain or statins to treat High cholesterol may not get accurate results on tests that screen for prostate cancer, a new study has found. Prostate Cancer diagnosis is typically based on elevated levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Now, researchers have found that some common drugs, including these classes of painkillers and cholesterol meds, may artificially More >
Patients Could ‘Grow’ New Joints, Scientists Say
For the first time, a team of scientists has developed a way to use stem cells to grow new joints inside the body that have a full range of movement and can bear weight. These joints were grown in a recent study involving rabbits, but researchers say this animal study may pave the way for the same results in people. Joints grown in this way could potentially last longer than artificial joints, and they would prevent elderly patients from having to More >
Doctors Slow to Diagnose Arthritis of the Back: Study
Researchers say patients could be saved as much as $10,000 in medical costs if doctors would skip an expensive step when diagnosing them with arthritis of the back. In a recent study, investigators found that skipping diagnostic nerve blocks and proceeding direction to another treatment called radiofrequency denervation would quicken the process of arthritis diagnoses in back pain patients. Researchers say doing so would both reduce costs and speed More >
Alternative Therapies May Ease Back Pain
According to statistics from the American Pain Association, 26 million Americans ages 20 to 64 suffer from ongoing back pain. While many of these people choose surgery or medications to treat this condition, others try alternative therapies to ease their pain. In this article, experts discuss such treatments as chiropractic care, vitamins, and acupuncture and their ability to treat chronic back pain.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/news-529733-98.html