scholarly journals Safety of Medical Cannabis in Neuropathic Chronic Pain Management

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (20) ◽  
pp. 6257
Author(s):  
Alessandra Bennici ◽  
Carmen Mannucci ◽  
Fabrizio Calapai ◽  
Luigi Cardia ◽  
Ilaria Ammendolia ◽  
...  

Products derived from the plant Cannabis sativa are widely appreciated for their analgesic properties and are employed for the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain. Only nabiximols, a product composed of two extracts containing similar percentages of the two cannabinoids cannabidiol and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, is approved by regulatory authorities for neuropathic pain and spasticity due to multiple sclerosis in many European countries and Canada. It is also included in pharmacovigilance systems monitoring the occurrence of adverse drug reactions. However, it is not the same for the great variety of other cannabis preparations widely used for medical purposes. This creates a situation characterized by insufficient knowledge of the safety of cannabis preparations and the impossibility of establishing a correct risk–benefit profile for their medical use in the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain. With the aim to explore this issue more deeply, we collected data on adverse reactions from published clinical studies reporting the use of cannabis for neuropathic relief.

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Lazzaro di Biase ◽  
Emma Falato ◽  
Maria Letizia Caminiti ◽  
Pasquale Maria Pecoraro ◽  
Flavia Narducci ◽  
...  

Chronic pain is one of the leading causes of disability and disease burden worldwide, accounting for a prevalence between 6.9% and 10% in the general population. Pharmacotherapy alone results ineffective in about 70-60% of patients in terms of a satisfactory degree of pain relief. Focused ultrasound is a promising tool for chronic pain management, being approved for thalamotomy in chronic neuropathic pain and for bone metastases-related pain treatment. FUS is a noninvasive technique for neuromodulation and for tissue ablation that can be applied to several tissues. Transcranial FUS (tFUS) can lead to opposite biological effects, depending on stimulation parameters: from reversible neural activity facilitation or suppression (low-intensity, low-frequency ultrasound, LILFUS) to irreversible tissue ablation (high-intensity focused ultrasounds, HIFU). HIFU is approved for thalamotomy in neuropathic pain at the central nervous system level and for the treatment of facet joint osteoarthritis at the peripheral level. Potential applications include HIFU at the spinal cord level for selected cases of refractory chronic neuropathic pain, knee osteoarthritis, sacroiliac joint disease, intervertebral disc nucleolysis, phantom limb, and ablation of peripheral nerves. FUS at nonablative dosage, LILFUS, has potential reversible and tissue-selective effects. FUS applications at nonablative doses currently are at a research stage. The main potential applications include targeted drug and gene delivery through the Blood-Brain Barrier, assessment of pain thresholds and study of pain, and reversible peripheral nerve conduction block. The aim of the present review is to describe the approved and potential applications of the focused ultrasound technology in the field of chronic pain management.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-108
Author(s):  
Adriana Miclescu ◽  
Antje Straatmann ◽  
Panagiota Gkatziani ◽  
Stephen Butler ◽  
Rolf Karlsten ◽  
...  

AbstractBackground and aimsAside from the long term side effects of a nerve injury in the upper extremity with devastating consequences there is often the problem of chronic neuropathic pain. The studies concerning the prevalence of persistent pain of neuropathic origin after peripheral nerve injuries are sparse. The prevalence and risk factors associated with chronic neuropathic pain after nerve injuries in the upper extremity were assessed.MethodsA standardized data collection template was employed prospectively and retrospectively for all patients with traumatic nerve injuries accepted at the Hand Surgery Department, Uppsala, Sweden between 2010 and 2018. The template included demographic data, pain diagnosis, type of injured nerve, level of injury, date of the lesion and repair, type of procedure, reoperation, time since the procedure, S-LANSS questionnaire (Self report-Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs), RAND-36 (Item short form health survey), QuickDASH (Disability of Shoulder, Arm and Hand) and additional questionnaires concerned medication, pain intensity were sent to 1,051 patients with nerve injuries. Partial proportional odds models were used to investigate the association between persistent pain and potential predictors.ResultsMore than half of the patients undergoing a surgical procedure developed persistent pain. Prevalence of neuropathic pain was 73% of the patients with pain (S-LANSS ≥ 12 or more). Multivariate analysis indicated that injury of a major nerve OR 1.6 (p = 0.013), years from surgery OR 0.91 (p = 0.01), younger age OR 0.7 (p < 0.001), were the main factors for predicting pain after surgery. The type of the nerve injured was the strongest predictor for chronic pain with major nerves associated with more pain (p = 0.019).ConclusionsA high prevalence of chronic pain and neuropathic pain with a negative impact on quality of life and disability were found in patients after traumatic nerve injury. Major nerve injury, younger age and less time from surgery were predictors for chronic pain.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony O’Brien, MB, FRCPI ◽  
Jin Seok Ahn, MD ◽  
Richard Chye, MBBS, FRACP, FFPMANZCA, FAChPM ◽  
Brian Le, MBBS (Hons), MPH, FRACP, FAChPM ◽  
Henry Lu, MD, DABPN, DPBPM ◽  
...  

Transdermal buprenorphine (TDB) has demonstrated effectiveness in treating a range of chronic pain conditions, including cancer pain, nociceptive pain, and neuropathic pain and has a favorable safety profile. Worldwide, clinical experience of its use is relatively limited. There is considerable misunderstanding about the pharmacology, mechanism of action, and safety of buprenorphine. There is also limited guidance on the appropriate use of TDB for chronic pain management. This article presents an overview of TDB and also provides practical recommendations for its use as part of a multifaceted strategy in chronic cancer and non-cancer pain.


2010 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 436-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Mori ◽  
Claudia Codecà ◽  
Hajime Kusayanagi ◽  
Fabrizia Monteleone ◽  
Fabio Buttari ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol In Press (In Press) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amnon A. Berger ◽  
Yao Liu ◽  
HarLee Possoit ◽  
Anna C. Rogers ◽  
Warner Moore ◽  
...  

Context: Chronic neuropathic pain is a common condition, and up to 11.9% of the population have been reported to suffer from uncontrolled neuropathic pain. Chronic pain leads to significant morbidity, lowered quality of life, and loss of workdays, and thus carries a significant price tag in healthcare costs and lost productivity. dorsal root ganglia (DRG) stimulation has been recently increasingly reported and shows promising results in the alleviation of chronic pain. This paper reviews the background of DRG stimulation, anatomical, and clinical consideration and reviews the clinical evidence to support its use. Evidence Acquisition: The DRG span the length of the spinal cord and house the neurons responsible for sensation from the periphery. They may become irritated by direct compression or local inflammation. Glial cells in the DRG respond to nerve injury, producing inflammatory markers and contribute to the development of chronic pain, even after the resolution of the original insult. While the underlying mechanism is still being explored, recent studies explored the efficacy of DRG stimulation and neuromodulation for chronic pain treatment. Results: Several reported cases and a small number of randomized trials were published in recent years, describing different methods of DRG stimulation and neuromodulation with promising results. Though evidence quality is mostly low, these results provide evidence to support the utilization of this technique. Conclusions: Chronic neuropathic pain is a common condition and carries significant morbidity and impact on the quality of life. Recent evidence supports the use of DRG neuromodulation as an effective technique to control chronic pain. Though studies are still emerging, the evidence appears to support this technique. Further studies, including large randomized trials evaluating DRG modulation versus other interventional and non-interventional techniques, are needed to further elucidate the efficacy of this method. These studies are also likely to inform the patient selection and the course of treatment.


Author(s):  
V. A. Koriachkin ◽  
A. P. Spasova ◽  
V. V. Khinovker

Background Chronic neuropathic pain is a common occurrence, its prevalence ranges from 7 to 10% of the total population. Currently, the only official document that includes neuropathic pain is the International Classification of Headaches Disorders (ICHD-3), in which this type of pain is associated with traumatic brain injury and neuralgia. Until now, there has been no generally accepted terminology and classification of chronic neuropathic pain.Objective To provide the current terminology, classification and additional characteristics of neuropathic chronic pain.Results The review of modern terminology and classification of neuropathic chronic pain describes the terms included in the concept of chronic peripheral and central neuropathic pain, identifies pain subtypes, as well as its additional characteristics such as the intensity of neuropathic pain, the severity of suffering and disability.Conclusions Thus, the presented recent classification of chronic neuropathic pain is an exhaustive list of the most common neuropathic pain syndromes. The inclusion of classification into clinical practice will help to draw attention to the problem of treatment of chronic neuropathic pain by WHO members, carrying out epidemiological studies and making a correct diagnosis, and therefore the appointment of adequate treatment methods.


Author(s):  
MLA Moabelo ◽  
R Parker

Background: Neuropathic pain (NP), defined as pain caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory system, affects 6.9–10% of people worldwide. Pregabalin is currently recommended as a first line drug for NP in South Africa. Methods: A cross-sectional, retrospective, descriptive medicines usage evaluation (MUE) of pregabalin at Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH) Chronic Pain Management Clinic for the year 2017 was conducted. A MUE using a standardised data collection form was performed on 100 randomly selected patient folders. Data was summarised using descriptive statistics. Results: The majority of cases were women (76) with a mean age of 55.9 years (SD12.49). A diagnosis of NP was recorded in 58 folders and a “possible” diagnosis recorded in 7 folders. In 79 cases there was no mention of a tool/method used to diagnose NP. The most common condition diagnosed was chronic postsurgical pain with a neuropathic component (n = 16), followed by NP (n = 15). The most common initiating and current dose of pregabalin was 75 mg twice daily. In 56 patients, pregabalin was prescribed in conjunction with a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) or selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). Patient education was documented as having taken place in 76 of cases. Conclusions: Based on this MUE we recommend the use of screening tools for the diagnosis of neuropathic pain, and a focus on the initiating dose of pregabalin. The use of a standardised assessment document and the interdisciplinary team input at this clinic appears to optimise prescribing of pregabalin in line with practice guidelines.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-41
Author(s):  
Alfonso Papa ◽  
Elisabetta Saracco ◽  
Maria Teresa Di Dato ◽  
Pietro Buonavolontà ◽  
Anna Maria Salzano ◽  
...  

Objectives: The dorsal root ganglion (DRG) is involved in the transduction of pain signals to the central nervous system (CNS) and undergoes a number of physiopathological changes during chronic pain. The purpose of this data collection was to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of DRG stimulation for the treatment of chronic pain and its impact on functional aspects. Materials and Methods: Forty-four subjects with non-reactive chronic neuropathic pain syndrome were implanted with DRG stimulation. Patients were evaluated at baseline as well as at 15, and 30 days, and at 3, 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 months after medical intervention/surgery using the Visual Analogic Scale (VAS), which measures pain intensity, and the Oswestry Scale, for the estimation of disability (ODI). Results: After four years of simulation, VAS and ODI showed a statistically significant reduction throughout the follow-up period. The average pain relief obtained after 48 months of treatment was 74.1% ± 3.4. Conclusion: The results of this data collection demonstrate the feasibility of DRG stimulation, the correspondence between the clinical indications at the DRG implant and what is commonly found in the literature on this technique.(18,20) Patients defined as clinical responders to DRG stimulation and so implanted with definitive IPG showed a sustained and long term efficacy. Eight patients had previously been implanted with a traditional SCS without any clinically relevant efficacy; they were then explained for unsatisfactory results. Six of them (75%) were later implanted with DRG, with long-term effectiveness. Another advantage of this therapy is the absence of positional effects and lead migration. The adverse events proved to be independent of the anatomical level of insertion; moreover, this series of cases show a lower incidence of lead migration than reported in the literature. In summary, DRGs have been ignored for too long, probably due to the technical difficulty of reaching their deep, almost extra-spinal anatomical position.


CNS Drugs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Petzke ◽  
Thomas Tölle ◽  
Mary-Ann Fitzcharles ◽  
Winfried Häuser

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