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Chronic Pain

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Onsolis Approved for Severe Cancer Pain

July 17, 2009

THURSDAY, July 16 (HealthDay News) — The potent opioid medication Onsolis (fentanyl buccal soluble film) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat breakthrough cancer pain, the agency said Thursday.

Onsolis delivers the medication fentanyl through an absorbable film that adheres to the inside of the user’s cheek, according to an FDA news release. It’s been sanctioned for people 18 and older who already use round-the-clock opioid medication to manage pain. Breakthrough pain occurs when severe flares of pain prove inadequate for daily pain medication. Read More

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Many Kids Outgrow Chronic Headaches

July 16, 2009

WEDNESDAY, July 15 (HealthDay News) — For most children who suffer from chronic daily headaches in their early teens, a new study has good news — about 88 percent will outgrow them before their early 20s.

For the remaining 12 percent, however, those headaches may persist into adulthood. And, the study, published in the July 15 online issue of Neurology, found that teens who experienced migraines were more likely to continue having headaches as they got older. Read More

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A Curse or Two Might Quell the Pain

July 14, 2009

MONDAY, July 13 (HealthDay News) — Ever blurt out a swear word after stubbing a toe or experiencing some other painful incident?

Your outburst might actually help lessen the pain, new research shows.

In a study that suggests bad words aren’t all bad, college students who repeated swear words while submerging their hand in ice-cold water were able to withstand the frigid temperatures longer than those who kept quiet. Read More

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Arthritis Drug Raises Risk of Tuberculosis

July 10, 2009

THURSDAY, July 9 (HealthDay News) — An arthritis therapy appears to increase the risk of tuberculosis in certain patients, French researchers have found.

Their study examined the connection between TB and two anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other auto-immune diseases — soluble TNF receptor therapy (etanercept) and anti-TNF monoclonal antibody therapy (infliximab or adalimumab). Read More

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Questions to Pharmacists Rise After Michael Jackson’s Death

July 9, 2009

THURSDAY, July 9 (HealthDay News) — News reports about a possible link between pop star Michael Jackson’s death and his alleged abuse of prescription drugs may have increased the public’s concern about prescription medication overdose risks, suggests a survey of U.S. pharmacists.

Of the more than 200 respondents who work in home, ambulatory and chronic care practices, 28 percent of the pharmacists said patients have been asking more questions about the risks of prescription painkillers since Jackson’s death on June 25. Read More

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FDA Mandates Tougher Warnings for Pain Pills

July 8, 2009

TUESDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) — Concerns about the possibility of fatal overdoses led U.S. health officials Tuesday to take several steps to limit the risk of using pain medications containing propoxyphene, including Darvon and Darvocet.

Manufacturers must strengthen the labels of propoxyphene-containing products by adding boxed warnings that emphasize the potential for overdose and developing medication guides to be given to each person filling or refilling a prescription. Read More

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Minimally Invasive Surgery Not Better for Sciatica

July 8, 2009

TUESDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) — Minimally invasive surgery for the excruciating back pain that can be caused by sciatica didn’t work as well as the conventional procedure in a Dutch study.

“The expected treatment benefit of a faster rate of recovery from sciatica after tubular diskectomy could not be reproduced by this double-blind study,” according to a report in the July 8 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Read More

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If 2 Painkillers Are Banned, What Next?

July 6, 2009

THURSDAY, July 2 (HealthDay News) — Banning the popular painkillers Percocet and Vicodin, which a U.S. health advisory panel has urged, would not be as drastic as it sounds, some medical experts contend.

The reason, they say, is that other options are available. Read More

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FDA Panel Urges Ban on Vicodin, Percocet

June 30, 2009

TUESDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) — The popular prescription painkillers Vicodin and Percocet, which combine acetaminophen with an opiate narcotic, should be banned, and the maximum dose of over-the-counter painkillers with acetaminophen, like Tylenol or Excedrin, should be lowered, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel urged Tuesday.

The panel’s recommendations followed the release of an FDA report last month that found severe liver damage, and even death, can result from a lack of consumer awareness that acetaminophen — which is easier on the stomach than such painkillers as aspirin and ibuprofen — can cause such injury. Read More

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Nonsurgical Treatment May Ease Rotator Cuff Injury

June 30, 2009

TUESDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) — Millions of people suffer from tendinitis of the rotator cuff, but a minimally invasive procedure can significantly reduce their pain and restore mobility of the shoulder, Italian researchers say.

Their study included 287 patients with calcific tendinitis, which involves small calcium deposits within the tendons of the rotator cuff in the shoulder. The patients were randomly assigned to receive ultrasound-guided percutaneous (through the skin) therapy (219 patients) or to a control group that didn’t receive treatment (68 patients). Follow-up was conducted after one month, three months, one year, five years and 10 years. Read More

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