Wise Young
09-12-2005, 10:11 PM
This review article from Harvard sounds an upbeat note of optimism.
Freeman R (2005). The treatment of neuropathic pain. CNS Spectr 10: 698-706. Neuropathic pain is responsible for a significant amount of the morbidity associated with generalized and focal peripheral neuropathies. It is a consequence of alterations in neuronal function, chemistry, and structure that occur secondary to nerve injury. These manifestations of neuronal plasticity occur in the peripheral nerve, spinal cord, and brain. A variety of agents from diverse pharmacologic classes, the so-called adjuvant analgesics, have been used to treat neuropathic pain. These include antidepressants, first- and second-generation anticonvulsants, antiarrhythmic agents, topical agents, N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonists, and opioid analgesics. The use of these adjuvant analgesics, either alone or in combination, should result in the alleviation of neuropathic pain in most patients. Recent advances in the understanding of pain mechanisms at multiple central nervous system levels should pave the way toward more effective treatment modalities. Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Citation&list_uids=16142210
Freeman R (2005). The treatment of neuropathic pain. CNS Spectr 10: 698-706. Neuropathic pain is responsible for a significant amount of the morbidity associated with generalized and focal peripheral neuropathies. It is a consequence of alterations in neuronal function, chemistry, and structure that occur secondary to nerve injury. These manifestations of neuronal plasticity occur in the peripheral nerve, spinal cord, and brain. A variety of agents from diverse pharmacologic classes, the so-called adjuvant analgesics, have been used to treat neuropathic pain. These include antidepressants, first- and second-generation anticonvulsants, antiarrhythmic agents, topical agents, N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonists, and opioid analgesics. The use of these adjuvant analgesics, either alone or in combination, should result in the alleviation of neuropathic pain in most patients. Recent advances in the understanding of pain mechanisms at multiple central nervous system levels should pave the way toward more effective treatment modalities. Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Citation&list_uids=16142210