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This page was last updated 5/11/12 |
Welcome to the Pain-Topics.org NEWSROOM... 
News Flash...
When there are signs of opioid overdose, taking immediate action can be lifesaving. Patients and their personal caregivers (family, friends) should know when to call for emergency help and what to do while waiting for help to arrive. Instructions include how to identify an overdose, putting the victim in the rescue position, and how to do rescue breathing and CPR.
Online HTML version <
Download PDF version in English <
This year’s initiative sponsored by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) draws attention to one of the most common, painful, and disabling conditions that affect people throughout their lives: the headache. The IASP is working with the International Headache Society in developing numberous resources for practitioners and patients. These are available free at the IASP website. 
NEW Resource on Opioid Risk Management
PERFORM™ (Patient Evaluation Resources for Opioid Risk Management) is a free resource from Purdue Pharma L.P. featuring a journal-sized binder and interactive CD-ROM. It is designed to provide healthcare professionals with information and tools to assess the risk of medication misuse in patients who require opioid therapy.
Despite the fact that research and information in the pain management field is mushrooming, more than 75-million Americans still suffer from pain disorders of varying intensity and duration. News/Research UPDATES take a hard look at soft evidence behind many of today’s pain management practices and beliefs. The goal of this offering from Pain Treatment Topics is to help healthcare providers and the public to develop an educated skepticism.
For many types of pain, prescription opioids are among the most effective analgesics; yet evidence suggests potential benefits of opioid antagonists, particularly naloxone and naltrexone. This is unexpected because these drugs displace opioid molecules from their neuroreceptors, and block opioids from attaching to and activating those receptors. A peer-reviewed, evidence-based report from Pain Treatment Topics describes naloxone and naltrexone pharmacology and the theoretical foundations of opioid antagonists for pain management. Titled “Opioid Antagonists, Naloxone & Naltrexone -- Aids for Pain Management,” the 16-page report includes summaries of 17 studies -- case examples and clinical trials -- investigating opioid-antagonist therapy in adult humans.
This evidence-based review examines how ongoing opioid therapy for chronic pain can paradoxically worsen the pain in some patients, a phenomenon called Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia or OIH. The differential diagnosis of OIH form other conditions – worsening disease, opioid tolerance, withdrawal, pseudoaddiction, or addiction – is described and strategies for avoiding or managing OIH, if it occurs, are recommended.
Helping patients to overcome their chronic musculoskeletal pain and fatigue syndromes may be as simple, well tolerated, and inexpensive as an extra daily supplement of vitamin D. A comprehensive Report and a shorter Practitioner Briefing review the clinical evidence and provide clinical guidance for healthcare providers. A special Brochure for patients explains what vitamin D is, how it works, and how it can help them. <Released June 2008>
Sexual dysfunction is a common problem in patients with chronic pain. Ironically, considerable evidence suggests that long-acting opioids used on a daily basis for more than a month to help relieve chronic pain can have a number of adverse effects on human endocrine function leading to sexual dysfunction. This commentary by practitioner Stephen Colameco, MD, MEd, examines the causes and diagnosis of endocrine disorders related to opioid therapy. Recommended clinical approaches for the treatment of associated sexual dysfunctions are discussed. <Released April 2008> 
Essential guidance for practitioners on safely prescribing methadone for patients with chronic pain, along with special instructions for patients on how to avoid methadone adverse events or overdose, are available in two new documents exclusively from Pain Treatment Topics:
According to this special report -- Should Opioid Abusers Be Discharged From Opioid-Analgesic Therapy? by Peggy Compton, RN, PhD -- practitioners prescribing opioids for pain should be prepared to deal with patients’ problems in using the medicines. Patients should not be discharged from treatment if opioid abuse or addiction occurs. Instead, pain practitioners should continue treatment for pain while also playing a role in addiction treatment. Compton outlines specific steps for any healthcare provider to follow. <Released January 2008>
Patients with kidney or liver disorders often need opioid analgesics for effective pain relief. However, there is a risk of opioid overdose or other adverse events in these patients due to the possibility of altered drug pharmacokinetics and toxic accumulation of the parent opioid and/or its metabolites. This evidence-based report exclusively from Pain Treatment Topics provides a comprehensive list of clinical cautions and dosing recommendations relating to various opioids. <Released June 2007> 
The misuse and abuse of oxycodone have been of great concern. A special peer-reviewed report exclusively from Pain Treatment Topics provides guidance on the safe prescribing of immediate release (IR) and controlled release (CR) oxycodone. Additionally, patient instructions handouts in English and Spanish emphasize medication compliance and safety to help prevent accidental misuse and avoidable adverse events. <Released June 2007> 
"A recent Google search on the word 'pain' produced an astounding 190 million hits--a daunting amount of data for just about anyone to navigate, let alone harried physicians or pharmacists. This is the challenge that led to the creation of www.Pain-Topics.org, an evidenced-based pain management Web site designed as an unbiased clearinghouse of free-of-charge news, information, research, and education covering the causes and effective management of pain." <Released May 2007 [US Pharm. 2007;32(5):73]> 
