Study questions efficacy of antidepressants commonly used to treat pain
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 06, 2023
There was little to no evidence that tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline were effective in this meta-analysis. Yet drugs in this class are among those most commonly used to treat pain, the...
Clinical briefs for Monday, Nov. 28
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 28, 2022
FDA receives over 90K foam-breakdown reports tied to Philips Respironics devices … Vitamin D does not ease muscle aches tied to statin use: study … AMDA, AMA urge clinicians to strongly promote vaccination...
New U.S. poll shows high incidence of arthritis, reliance on medication for pain
Sep 13, 2022
A notable proportion of seniors rely on prescription drugs to manage their arthritis pain, but haven’t discussed the health risks with their clinicians, researchers report.
Clinicians have a wealth of drug options for tackling seniors’ spine pain, review finds
By
Alicia Lasek (f3)
Jul 01, 2022
Investigators examined the evidence for a wide range of potential drug therapies for pain and have published detailed recommendations.
NSAIDs halt effect of osteoporosis drug, raising questions about fracture risk, analysts say
By
Alicia Lasek (f3)
Apr 21, 2022
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs appear to negate the effect of at least one osteoporosis drug, according to an unexpected finding.
Stable use of antipsychotics in long-term care during pandemic ‘reassuring’: study
By
Kimberly Bonvissuto
Mar 07, 2022
The use of antipsychotics and pain medications in assisted living and nursing home residents was relatively unchanged early in the pandemic. New residents were more likely to get certain drugs, however.
Eliminating residents’ chronic pain not a realistic goal: Aim for quality of life, experts tell...
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 24, 2021
Even the best, multimodal treatment strategies may be only 30% effective, say the authors of a new review and pain management guide.
Painkiller use tied to higher mortality after outpatient surgery in seniors
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 26, 2020
Clinicians should be aware of preoperative opioid exposure levels to ensure older patients’ safe recovery, and to help determine the dosage of post-surgical painkillers, researchers say.
Neuropathic pain drugs ranked for efficacy in real-life comparison study
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 19, 2020
Among four drugs commonly used to treat unexplained neuropathic pain in seniors, two stand out as the most effective and least likely to be discontinued, physician researchers report.
New advice for managing chronic pain: go low and slow
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 02, 2020
Treatment should start with low-risk, non-invasive strategies and slowly introduce pain medications, including opioids as needed, say Mayo Clinic geriatricians.