HomePain Medicine
Pain Medicine
Chemotherapy link to chronic nerve pain in 40% of patients – US study
A pooled analysis of all available evidence has suggested that worldwide, cancer chemotherapy is linked to persistent severe peripheral nerve pain (neuropathy) for around...
Swedish study identifies gaps in preterm infant pain treatment
Repeated pain in newborn babies can be under-diagnosed and thus under-treated, risking long-term cognitive and other complications, say Swedish experts after a recent nation-wide...
FDA approves novel pain pill without addiction risk
A first-in-class non-opioid analgesic has been given the green light by the FDA, the prescription suzetrigine (Journavx) 50mg oral tablet aimed at treating moderate...
Study finds two treatments osteoarthritis ineffective
Negative studies of colchicine and a herbal-supplement cocktail have dashed hopes of non-surgical treatments – with fewer side effects than ordinary painkillers - for...
Men and women process pain differently – US study
Recent research suggests that men and women rely on different biological systems for pain relief, which could explain why the most powerful medications are...
Muscle relaxants not as effective for chronic pain – Yale review
The long-term use of muscle relaxants may benefit patients with painful spasms or cramps and neck pain, according to a systematic review of clinical...
New migraine drugs no better than usual painkillers – global analysis
An international study suggests that some recently marketed migraine medications may not be more effective than standard painkillers for treating acute migraine episodes, and...
Increase in Botox jabs to ease ‘tech neck’ symptoms
British doctors say they’re attending to an increasing number of patients, particularly smartphone users, needing Botox jabs to cure “tech neck” – pain and...
Drug may stop migraine before headache starts – US study
In encouraging news for sufferers, recent research suggests that when taken at the first signs of a migraine, before headache pain begins, a drug...
Doctors flag painkiller prescribed ‘for everything’
Huge numbers of older people are taking the non-opioid pain medication gabapentin for a variety of conditions, including itching, alcohol dependence and sciatica, with...
How effective are analgesics for non-specific low back pain?
Experts have warned that analgesics have limited effect on low back pain – the world’s leading cause of disability, with half a billion (9%)...
Walking staves off lower back pain for longer – Australian study
People who regularly have lower back pain go longer without the discomfort if they incorporate walks into their weekly routines, researchers suggested after the...
Why knee osteoarthritis patients avoid restorative activity – Australian study
Although physical activity is known to ease the painful symptoms of knee osteoarthritis (OA) – a common cause of pain and joint stiffness –...
CBD products don’t ease pain – UK, Canadian study
There is no evidence that CBD products reduce chronic pain, and taking them is a waste of money and potentially harmful to health, according...
New non-addictive drug cuts off pain at source, says Vertex
US-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals has developed an experimental drug that relieves pain, blocking pain signals before they get to the brain, but which unlike opioids,...
Global manifesto calls for improved morphine access
A group of global, regional and national palliative care organisations has urged governments and regulators to end the practice of pharmaceutical companies marketing sustained-release...
Common joint pain injections may worsen arthritis – US studies
A common injection for treating arthritis could escalate the onset of the disease rather than prevent it, according to recent studies, which showed that compared with...
First SA cannabis clinical trial for pain management kicks off
Labat Africa has begun South Africa’s first ethically-approved cannabis clinical trials – the Pharma Ethics Observational Study. The Biodata research project is to test...