NEW YORK (New York)—Patients with anxiety and depression may be less satisfied than other patients with their chronic low back pain (CLBP) treatments, new research suggests. “Patients with anxiety/depression symptoms experienced more pain severity and more pain-related functional, social, and emotional disability, and they were less satisfied with care, compared with the other groups,” the…
How Depression Affects the Cognitive Profile of Fibromyalgia Patients
New research evaluated the effect of depression on the cognition of fibromyalgia patients, finding that these patients have a distinct cognitive profile. Researchers note that emotional symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, are essential to the cognitive performance of fibromyalgia patients and that treating these symptoms may reduce cognitive impairment…
FDA Approves Combination Therapy for OA Pain, but Not Duobrii Lotion for Plaque Psoriasis
The FDA has approved a combination of amlodipine and celecoxib, which may lower serum creatinine, for treating osteoarthritis pain and hypertension…
Anticonvulsants Unhelpful for Low Back Pain
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Solid evidence suggests that anticonvulsants provide no benefit for low back or lumbar radicular pain and a high risk of harm, researchers say. “We started the study because these drugs were increasingly being used for low back pain and radiating leg pain, without the support of strong evidence of effectiveness,” principal investigator…
Researchers Compare Nonsurgical Knee OA Treatments
According to new research, knee OA patients reported greater pain relief from intra-articular corticosteroids, but naproxen was more effective at improving function…
Drug Safety: Fasinumab Evaluated in Clinical Trials, Plus Celecoxib May Not Pose Increased Heart Attack or Stroke Risk
After an independent review, ongoing clinical trials investigating the safety of fasinumab for treating hip or knee OA will discontinue the use of higher fasinumab doses…
Nonopioid Medication May Be as Effective as Opioids for Chronic Pain
A recent study compared the efficacy of opioids with nonopioid pain treatments in patients with chronic back pain and hip or knee osteoarthritis. After 12 months, researchers found that treatment with opioids was not superior to treatment with nonopioid medication, with only minor differences in patients’ functional responses to the medications…
Study Examines Why Patients Exceed Recommended Doses of Ibuprofen & NSAIDs
A recent study examined how often patients exceed the dosing limits of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and identified the characteristics of the patients most likely to exceed recommended doses…
Opioids No Better Than NSAIDs for Chronic Back or Arthritis Pain
(Reuters Health)—Acetaminophen, ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are better than opioids at easing the intensity of chronic pain in the back, knees or hips, a U.S. experiment suggests. And opioids are no better than these other drugs at reducing how much pain interferes with daily activities, such as walking, working, sleeping or enjoying…
What’s Driving the Pain? Alternative Approaches to Pain Management
Patients can experience many different types of pain, and some patients with chronic pain may believe that only opioids will help them. According to Kelly Weselman, MD, the best way to begin managing pain is to determine its root cause and communicate with the patient about the best approach(es) for decreasing their specific pain…