The e-Briefing newsletter from Pain Treatment Topics provides busy healthcare professionals with a digest of selected news, information, research, and education relating to pain management. The focus is on evidence-based pain management practices. This newsletter is provided free of charge and without restriction – no site registration is required.

e-Briefings are available in electronic PDF format for downloading and reading at your leisure or sharing with colleagues. You will need Acrobat® Reader to view PDF files. If you do not have Acrobat Reader, download it free by clicking here and following the directions.

NOTE: Since July 2009, e-Briefings have been published weekly as News/Research UPDATES.
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e-Briefings Past Issues

Pain-Topics e-Briefing – 2009: Vol. 4, No. 1

Download PDF: e-Briefing-Vol4-No1-2009.pdf (472 KB; 12 pp)

• EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK…
  Misguided Pain Guidelines?
  When Strong Claims Follow From Weak Evidence
  > Opioid Rx Guidelines in Search of Evidence
  > ECG Screening in Methadone Patients
  > Fibromyalgia Guidelines Inconsistent
• PAIN INNOVATIONS: EVIDENCE REVIEW...
  Opioid Blockers Aid Pain Relief

• Pain-Topics.org NEWS...
  Website-Rating Survey Results

Pain-Topics e-Briefing – 2008: Vol. 3, No. 1

Download PDF: e-Briefing-Vol3-No1-2008.pdf (820 KB; 19 pp)

• EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK…
  Can Pain Medicine Research Be Trusted?
• UPDATE ON NEWS/RESEARCH UPDATES...
  Opioid-Analgesic Abuse & Addiction
  Prevalence Uncertain

• PAIN-TOPICS RESEARCH ROUNDUP...
  Special Reports
  > Aches? Pains? Extra Vitamin D May Help
  > Safety Stressed in Updated Guidance on Methadone
  Current Comments
  > Do Opioid Analgesics Sometimes Make Pain Worse?
  > Discharging Patients for Opioid-Analgesic Abuse/Addiction?
  > Telltale Signs Identify Patients with Uncontrolled Pain
  > Sexual Dysfunction – Common with Opioid Analgesics

• RECENT CHANGES at Pain-Topics.org…
  Dual Certifications Received
  Awards Recognize Contributions to Healthcare Field

Pain-Topics e-Briefing – 2007: Vol. 2, No. 2

 Download PDF: e-Briefing-Vol2-No2-2007.pdf (720 KB; 18 pp)

• FROM EDITOR...
  Opioid Contracts: Good, Bad, or Useless?
• LANGUAGE MATTERS...
  “Efficacious” Treatments Are Not Always “Effective”
• FEATURE ARTICLE...
  Commonsense Opioid-Risk Management
• CURRENT COMMENTS...
  Confronting the Perils of Pain Treatment
  > Ziegler – Conundrums in Primary Care
  > Webster – Maximizing Methadone Safety
  > Tennant – Intractable Pain & Pseudoaddiction: Howard Hughes
• Recent Changes at Pain-Topics.org

Pain-Topics e-Briefing – 2007: Vol. 2, No. 1

 Download PDF: e-Briefing-Vol2-No1-2007.pdf (850 KB; 17 pp)

• From Editor... Iatrogenic Opioid-Use Problems: What's the Risk?
• Language Matters: Time to Nix "Narcotics"
  & Get Specific About Opioids
• Feature Article: Safety Update - OXYCODONE
• Renal, Hepatic Dysfunction Requires Rx-Opioid Adjustments
• Current Comments: "Opiophobia" Unwarranted, Potentially Harmful
• First-Ever Guide for Helping Patients with Intractable Pain
• New Book Addresses Opioid Risks & Their Safe Management

Pain-Topics e-Briefing – 2006: Vol. 1, No. 2

 Download PDF: e-Briefing_Vol1_No2_2006.pdf  (768 KB; 14 pp)

• From Editor... News Reports, FDA Advisory Should Not Deter Use of Methadone
• Language Matters: Discard "Dependence"; Get Serious About "Addiction"
• Methadone Safety Stressed by FDA; Report from Pain Treatment Topics Provides Clinical Guidance
• Conversion Ratios for Rotation from Methadone to Other Opioids
• Pain & Addiction: Common Threads ...Seminar Notes
• Pain-Topics.org Launches Pain-Art Gallery
• Events Calendar

Pain-Topics e-Briefing – 2006: Vol. 1, No. 1

 Download PDF: e-Briefing_Spring_2006.pdf  (530 KB; 11 pp)

• From Editor... A New Concept for Learning About Pain & Its Treatment via the Internet
• How Much Methadone Analgesia is Enough?
  Or...Too Much?
• Methadone-Drug Interactions Affect Patient Response & Safety
• Tapering Opioids: Patient Safety & Comfort Are Essential
• Pain: A Confounding Factor in Opioid-Addiction Treatment
• Events Calendar