Chronic Pain Treatments: Many Options, Poor Results

Imagine you are an employer and only half of your employees show up for work each day and then they are only 30 percent effective. Now a review of chronic pain treatments shows that despite the many options available, only about half of treated patients respond, and their pain reduction averages only about 30 percent.

Chronic pain continues to be…chronic

Chronic noncancer pain, which is associated with conditions such as back pain, fibromyalgia, and various types of arthritis, often has a life-altering impact on people’s lives. When individuals cannot get adequate relief from pain, it can jeopardize their ability to work, have and raise a family, maintain meaningful relationships, and otherwise enjoy life.

Chronic pain is a global and pervasive problem. According to a recent Global Industry Analysts Inc Report, more than 1.5 billion people worldwide suffer from chronic pain, and about 3 to 4.5 percent of the population suffers from neuropathic pain. Among Americans, pain affects more people than diabetes, heart disease, and cancer combined.

How well do treatments for chronic pain work? A new literature review by Dennis C. Turk, MD, and his colleagues from the University of Washington in Seattle highlights the current state of chronic pain treatments, and they report that the results are “sobering.”

The authors surveyed the literature on fibromyalgia, low-back pain, neuropathic pain, and osteoarthritis and noted the empirical evidence for treatment approaches. Their review covered opioids, NSAIDS (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), acetaminophen, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, surgery and other invasive procedures, psychological approaches, and complementary methods.

At the top of the list of drugs prescribed for pain were opioids (e.g., OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin), even though they provide only minimal relief from pain and small improvements in function. Opioids are also one of the most commonly abused/misused prescription drugs, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Misuse of opioids can result in life-threatening side effects and death.

NSAIDs (e.g., ibuprofen, naproxen, celecoxib) are available both over-the-counter (OTC) and by prescription and often used by patients who have osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. An alternative to NSAIDs is acetaminophen, which has been associated with serious liver and gastrointestinal side effects.

Both antidepressants and anticonvulsants have demonstrated some ability to relieve pain, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has even approved several drugs in these categories (e.g., duloxetine [Cymbalta], milnacipran [Salvella], pregabalin [Lyrica]) for patients with fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain. Side effects remain a challenge with these medications.

List Of Nsaids - News


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"Having taken care of many of these patients, I really believe there is an unmet need for people who have problems with NSAIDs or colchicine. This happens on a daily basis in our clinics. We need something for these patients," said Ted R. Mikuls, MD,



Chronic Pain Treatments: Many Options, Poor Results

Their review covered opioids, NSAIDS (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), acetaminophen, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, surgery and other invasive procedures, psychological approaches, and complementary methods. At the top of the list of drugs



Analgesic Medications: Balancing Efficacy, Adverse Effects, and Convenience

When one thinks of adverse events related to NSAIDs, GI problems are usually at the top of the list. However, following the discovery of cardiovascular (CV) problems with rofecoxib (Vioxx) and its subsequent removal from the market, there has been



The Medicine Cabinet

If you treat a geriatric population, you have been very aware of the increase in prescriptions for Celebrex (celecoxib), ibuprofen, NSAIDs, and codeine. Arthritis is not a condition found only in a geriatric population, but is definitely more common in



Aleve Side Effects

Naproxen is often referred to as an NSAID, which means that it is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Consumers can learn about NSAIDs by researching a common prescription drug list. While many people may not suffer from any kind of




Avoiding NSAID's? Here's a list of what to avoid. | Brooke, MD

While NSAID’s (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are excellent anti-inflammatory pain medications, they can have severe adverse side effects.  Some of these include kidney failure, GI tract/stomach bleeding, decreased platelets in your blood, liver damage, and high blood pressure. Many patients have been instructed to avoid anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAID’s but it’s important to recognize what medicines are actually NSAID’s. The common over the counter agents with NSAID’s are: Advil, Midol, Motrin, some types of Dayquil and Dimetapp and other cold and sinus medications,Aleve and Goody’s powder. But there are a lot more than that!  So, it’s important to check the ingredients in each medication you buy over the counter or the generic name for a prescription you are written to see if any of the following drugs are in them.


List Of Nsaids - Bookshelf

Patterson's allergic diseases

Patterson's allergic diseases

Therefore, test dosing with another NSAID may demonstrate its safety for use in ... A current list of NSAIDs that cross-react with ASA is provided in Table ...

Veterinary toxicology, basic and clinical principles

Veterinary toxicology, basic and clinical principles

An incomplete list of NSAIDs may be found in Table 23.1. A relative few of these drugs are available OTC, the most common being aspirin, which is discussed ...

Musculoskeletal Drug Therapy for Geriatric Patients

Musculoskeletal Drug Therapy for Geriatric Patients

Table 1 contains a list of NSAIDs commonly used for osteoarthritis with suggested doses for the geriatric patient.22,26-27 NSAIDs are not recommended as ...

Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of General Hospital Psychiatry

Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of General Hospital Psychiatry

NSAID variations then need to be considered. For a list of NSAIDs, see Table 18– 6. Choline magnesium trisalicylate (1000 to 1500 mg) is safe in ...

Dermatologic, Cosmeceutic, and Cosmetic Development, Therapeutic and Novel Approaches

Dermatologic, Cosmeceutic, and Cosmetic Development, Therapeutic and Novel Approaches

Some of these NSAIDs are potentially fatal (eg, causing Lyell's or Steven- Johnson syndromes involving the skin). The “casualty list” of NSAIDs that have ...

Find An Article Directory


NSAID list: NSAIDs
The exact mechanism of action of acetaminophen is not known. ... of the class of drugs known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs. ...

List of NSAIDs
This eMedTV article provides a list of NSAIDs that may be prescribed or purchased over-the-counter. This page also lists some specific uses for NSAIDs, ...

List of NSAIDs: Generic and Brand Names
You'll find an extensive list of NSAIDs containing both their generic and pharmaceutical name.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug - Wikipedia, the free ...
As analgesics, NSAIDs are unusual in that they are non-narcotic. The most prominent ... of NSAIDs and quinolones may increase the risk of quinolones' ...

A List Of Nsaids | LIVESTRONG.COM
A List Of Nsaids. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs--NSAIDs--are a diverse group of medications that share the common therapeutic property of reducing ...