THE FUTURE FIBROMYALGIA DRUGS? PHARMACEUTICAL SOURCE PREDICTS FOUR DRUG APPROVALS IN COMING YEARS


THE FUTURE FIBROMYALGIA DRUGS?
PHARMACEUTICAL SOURCE PREDICTS FOUR DRUG APPROVALS IN COMING YEARS

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Both Sleep and Pain Improved
“Our new analyses of the BESTFIT data show that those patients who reported the greatest improvement in sleep quality were the most likely to experience pain relief,” Seth Lederman, MD, Tonix CEO​
Tonix – the developer of the drug – is moving fast. They reported that their Phase II clinical trial for Tonmya was filled in June of this year and reported results on the trial last month.They’ve already begun final (Phase III) trials.
A former study using EEG indicated the drug was increasing restorative sleep, which in turn was associated with reductions in pain, fatigue and depression. In a good sign for those in really severe pain, the most recent studies tied together pain levels and sleep quality; those FM patients in the most pain received the most improvements in sleep quality.
Dr. Lederman, Tonix CEO, emphasized that the drug is not a sleeping pill; it doesn’t just knock you out – it improves sleep quality.

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Controversy Grows over Journal Article on Pain Treatment


It’s not uncommon for colleagues in the medical profession to disagree. Egos and different medical backgrounds can sometimes lead to heated discussions about the best way to treat patients. But those arguments are usually kept private. That is why it is so unusual for a prominent pain physician to publicly call for another doctor to resign or be fired from her faculty position at a prestigious medical school.
“I believe she should resign her academic post,” says Forest Tennant, MD, referring to Jane Ballantyne, MD, a professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, who recently co-authored a controversial article in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) that said reducing pain intensity should not be the goal of doctors who treat chronic pain patients. The article also suggests that patients should learn to accept their pain and move on with their lives.
“For somebody in her position as a professor at a university to call for physicians to quit treating pain – or pain intensity – whether acute, chronic, whether rich, poor, disabled or what have you, is totally inappropriate. And it’s an insult to the physicians of the world and an insult to patients. And frankly, she should not be a professor.” Tennant told Pain News Network.
“To suggest that physicians should no longer treat pain intensity and let patients suffer goes beyond any sort of decency or concern for humanity.”

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Good Early Monday Morning from Dr. Patty!


Good Early Monday Morning from Dr. Patty! I just wanted to wish you all a low to no pain Monday and hope you come over to our (outside of Facebook) Website. I know you would love it because it was everything you all asked for!

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Poll: Pain Patients: What is one thing you want your family, friends and others to understand or do?


Poll: Pain Patients: What is one thing you want your family, friends and others to understand or do?
To vote, please click on this link:
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Join our new chat for members only!


Join our new chat for members only!
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Poll: Majority Of Chronic Pain Sufferers Feel Treated Like ‘Drug Addicts’ By Pharmacists


Poll: Majority Of Chronic Pain Sufferers Feel Treated Like ‘Drug Addicts’ By Pharmacists

GOLDEN, Colo. (CBS4) – The majority of people who suffer from chronic pain feel they are treated like drug addicts during their pharmacy visits, and nearly one-third of pain sufferers showed concern they are being embarrassed by their healthcare provider.
The National Pain Foundation, a Golden, Colo.-based non-profit that aims to “transform the way pain is fundamentally understood, assessed and treated,” conducted a survey of over 300 people afflicted with chronic pain to assess treatment they receive from healthcare providers.
More than half (52 percent) stated that they “are concerned that they will be treated like a drug addict by their pharmacist”. And an additional 29 percent said that they “are concerned that they will be embarrassed by their pharmacist”.
The survey found that nearly 1 in 5 (17 percent) reported they were “treated poorly or very poorly” by their pharmacist, and many respondents said they had been degraded, humiliated and even been accused of being a drug addict taking “enough meds to kill an elephant,” one comment alleged.

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When You See the Doctor (in the emergency room)


When You See the Doctor (in the emergency room)

In most health care settings, your time with the doctor will be limited. This is especially true of the emergency department, where the goal is to address your immediate crisis and help make you stable until you can see your regular health care provider.
Be prepared to briefly describe your current pain problem. Include:
Location of your pain;

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http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net/apps/forums/topics/show/13193392-when-you-see-the-doctor-in-the-emergency-room-

Pain management: pacing and goal setting


Pain management: pacing and goal setting

Chronic pain can change the way that people live their lives and carry out their daily activities. For example many people found that they could no longer perform certain tasks without experiencing increased pain and fatigue. This could lead to them becoming increasingly inactive, or catching up on jobs when they had a good day, which then lead to a flare-up of pain and the need to rest up for a few days (see also ‘Coping with flare-up’).

Many of the people that we talked to had learned techniques to manage their activities, minimize their pain and help prevent flare-ups. Usually these techniques had been learned on NHS Pain Management Programs through healthcare professionals, or support groups, but others had learned through the Internet or books (see also ‘Learning about pain management’; ‘NHS pain management programs’).

To Read More, please click this link:
http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net/apps/forums/topics/show/13192249-pain-management-pacing-and-goal-setting

Psychological Approaches for Insomnia


Psychological Approaches for Insomnia

Among the most common psychological techniques used to help with sleep problems are relaxation training, meditation, hypnosis, and cognitive restructuring. These techniques are similar to those used for stress management as well as chronic pain management, and rely on a common set of skills:
Deep muscle relaxation
Focus elsewhere rather than on the pain
Visual, sound, or other relaxing sensory imagery
Distancing oneself from the chronic pain
These skills, coupled with the deep breathing technique discussed next, can be very beneficial in improving sleep and decreasing the perception of pain by retraining the brain. Many of these skills are coupled with exercise in techniques such as yoga and Tai Chi.

To Read More, please click this link:
http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net/apps/forums/topics/show/13189793-psychological-approaches-for-insomnia

A Pacemaker For Pain; Peripheral Nerve Field Stimulation


A Pacemaker For Pain; Peripheral Nerve Field Stimulation

People with chronic, intractable back pain know exactly what they need relief directly where it hurts. Peripheral nerve field stimulation (PNFS), the newest weapon against back pain for people who are finding no relief from conventional treatment, does just that, says Dr. Eugene Lipov, who is Director of Research, Alexian Brothers Hospital Network Pain Program.
Electrical leads are placed just under the skin at the source of the pain, and the area is stimulated by a feed of electricity from an implanted power pack. Patients feel their pain replaced by a slight tingle.
This is an exciting evolution of the dorsal column stimulator for the spine, which has been in clinical use for the last 20 years. Where the previous stimulator was placed in the spinal canal right behind the spinal chord, this is placed at the site of pain, making it very effective for lower back pain and rendering it essentially free of complications.

To Read More, please click this link:
http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net/apps/forums/topics/show/13185905-a-pacemaker-for-pain?next=

Living with chronic pain: How to balance mental health needs for social connections with your physical limitations


Living with chronic pain: How to balance mental health needs for social connections with your physical limitations

If you live with chronic pain, you know that the mere act of getting up in the morning and getting out of bed can be excruciatingly difficult. What I have found, in working with chronic pain patients is that often, there is an unhealthy interplay and cascade effect between chronic pain, depression and isolation. If you live in chronic pain, you might find it difficult to get to a social event and not going to such events increases social isolation which in turn increases depression. What’s worse is that experts are not quite sure yet how pain and depression are linked but posit that not only does pain lead to depression but depression and social isolation may exacerbate the subjective experience of physical pain. Chronic pain may be a catch-22 experience where multiple factors affect each other and the person who experiences the pain may not be very successful at finding their way out of the labyrinth of multi-dimensional suffering.

To Read More, please click this link:
http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net/apps/forums/topics/show/13183282-living-with-chronic-pain-how-to-balance-mental-health-needs-for-social-connections-with-your-physical-limitations

When Nobody Believes You


When Nobody Believes You

“It’s all in your head.”
“Your doctors are wrong.”
“You don’t really feel as bad as you say you do.”
“You must not really be in that much pain because you look fine.”
These words are far too common in the ears of chronic pain patients. They can make one feel isolated, alone, and as if nobody cares.
One of my patients told me the other day, “My husband doesn’t believe I’m in as much pain as I say I am. He thinks it’s all psychological.”

To Read More, please click this link:
http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net/apps/forums/topics/show/13183237-when-nobody-believes-you?next=

Living with Pain: Is the War on Pain Patients a Human Rights Violation?


Living with Pain: Is the War on Pain Patients a Human Rights Violation?

When we read about human rights violations, we usually think of Russia, China or third world countries. We rarely think of the United States. Yet here in the U.S. we are involved in a war on chronic pain patients that is especially egregious in Washington state and Florida.

This war on pain patients is waged by the Drug Enforcement Administration, federal and state prosecutors, politicians and government agencies. Their efforts are bolstered by special interest groups, which have joined with legislators in their unbalanced efforts to reduce the amounts of available opioid analgesics and to limit the number of people who have access to these powerful pain relievers.
The rationale for this war is that over the past decade there has been quite an increase in opioid analgesic prescribing, which authorities blame for the growing problem of diversion, addiction, accidental overdose and death. The thinking is that if prescriptions are limited, then the associated problems with these medicines will be ameliorated.

The special interest groups point to a few research reports indicating that a large portion of patients taking these medicines become addicted. But the available research on this is spotty and not yet well developed to make any conclusions.

Since the passage of legislation in Washington, pain patients have been dropped by their physicians and denied opioid prescriptions by cowed pharmacies worried about being closed by the DEA. Physicians who previously treated people with intractable pain are turning away patients as they fear scrutiny and the possible loss of their licenses to practice.

To read more please click on this link:
http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net/apps/forums/topics/show/13177218-living-with-pain-is-the-war-on-pain-patients-a-human-rights-violation-

Patients are becoming collateral damage in US war on drugs


Patients are becoming collateral damage in US war on drugs

In October the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed tightening restrictions on access to certain low-potency narcotic pain medicines in an effort to stem the rising tide of prescription-drug abuse in the United States. The new rules would require patients to visit their doctors more often to refill their prescriptions and prohibit pharmacists from filling prescriptions over the phone.

The recommended changes may seem innocuous to many Americans, who are accustomed to getting just one side of the story on prescription-drug use. In fact, they are part of a disturbing trend that threatens to disrupt access to life-sustaining medication for millions of law-abiding citizens while having minimal impact on levels of drug abuse and addiction.

The move by the FDA to reclassify low-level hydrocodone preparations like Vicodin as Schedule II narcotics — the same category currently assigned to stronger pain medications, including fentanyl and morphine — follows several years of unilateral action by the states to erect new roadblocks to pain management. Advanced under the guise of protecting the health of Americans, these restrictions represent a heedless expansion of the war on drugs at the expense of the privacy and well-being of innocent patients.

To read more please click this link:
http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net/apps/forums/topics/show/13177183-patients-are-becoming-collateral-damage-in-us-war-on-drugs

Ask Dr. Patty (Member’s of the main website http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net)


Ask Dr. Patty (Member’s of the main website http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net)

If you have any questions that you would like to ask Dr. Patty, please click on the reply button and ask away!
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Predictors of Suicidal Ideation in Chronic Pain Patients


Predictors of Suicidal Ideation in Chronic Pain Patients
DECEMBER 17, 2013 BY BIM

This blog post relates to an article entitled Predictors of Suicidal Ideation in Chronic Pain Patients: An Exploratory Study that Dr. Manon Choinière, Dr. Warren Nielson and I have recently published in The Clinical Journal of Pain [4]. (To read this same blog post in French please click here).

Suicide has always been a very sensitive topic to touch upon, whether it be about “suicidal ideations” (SI), “suicide attempts” (SA) or — god forbid — suicide completion. According to the World Health Organization, death by suicide is one of the leading causes of mortality rate every year (16 per 100, 000 individuals) [6]. The worldwide lifetime prevalence for passive (without plan) and active (with a plan) SI, and SA have been estimated to be 9.2%, 3.1% and 2.7% respectively [3]. In many cases, there is a progression from passive suicidal thoughts to more active thoughts, which may be followed by SAs and in some unfortunate cases, death.

Please click on this link to view more:
http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net/apps/forums/topics/show/12874633-predictors-of-suicidal-ideation-in-chronic-pain-patients-

Daily Pain Journal


Daily Pain Journal
This is another useful practice to get into, and can be therapeutic in dealing with your pain. Describing and recording your pain each day helps you in recognizing any patterns and being aware if anything new is occurring in your body. It will also help you immensely in being able to quickly & accurately describe your pain to your doctor(s).

Please click on this link to view more:
http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net/apps/forums/topics/show/12894495-daily-pain-journal-instructions

Pain Care Advocacy in an Era of Opioid Abuse Part 2


Pain Care Advocacy in an Era of Opioid Abuse Part 2
By Jennifer Van Pelt, MA
Social Work Today Vol. 12 No. 5 P. 16

Prescribing opioids responsibly is a tricky balance since every patient and his or her pain is unique. In addition to being evaluated for symptoms and the potential for adverse side effects, pain sufferers must be evaluated for substance abuse potential, Barrett says.

As a result of media attention on increasing rates of prescription pain medication abuse, those with chronic pain who had previously found improved functioning, psychological health, and quality of life with appropriate opioid use began to face increased difficulties receiving effective treatment. For the last few years, social workers involved in pain management have been seeing their patients and clients endure the effects of this antiopioid sentiment and are experiencing challenges in advocating for those living with chronic pain. Health insurers may have stopped covering opioids, providers stopped writing prescriptions, and/or pharmacies did not stock the medications. “The glimmer of hope that they had experienced for managing their pain and participating more fully in society was extinguished,” Colón says.

Efforts intended to address opioid abuse have adversely affected quality of life for those with chronic pain. The growing fear and stigma linked to opioid use have led to unintended consequences for patients with chronic pain who could appropriately use opioids with substantial overall benefit. “Policy, healthcare payer rulings, and professional behaviors in response to antiopioid media coverage continue to erode access to effective pain management for those who suffer from chronic pain,” Colón says.

Medication Misconceptions
So much misunderstanding about opioid pain medications has been generated by the negative media focus, healthcare providers, patients, family caregivers, and community members, according to Shirley Otis-Green, MSW, ACSW, LCSW, OSW-C, senior research specialist in nursing research and education at City of Hope, a Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, CA, and coeditor of the Oxford Textbook of Palliative Social Work. She has been involved in national research and education programs on state-of-the-art pain management as a component of palliative cancer care.

“Patients receive mixed messages about prescribed opioids … that they are needed for effective pain relief, yet they should ‘just say no’ to drugs,” she explains. Family caregivers may have misconceptions and fears about loved ones using strong medications and express concerns about dependence or addiction. The resulting layers of guilt and confusion can circumvent even the best pain management strategies, she says.

Among healthcare practitioners, there is enormous fluctuation in clinical perspectives on opioid prescription, Otis-Green notes. “Some are not comfortable prescribing an opioid for joint pain but will prescribe one for cancer pain. Others will not even prescribe opioids at all until they perceive the patient is in the last days of life,” she explains.

At one point, Otis-Green was involved in state and national movements to advocate for more informed palliative pain care to better meet the needs of cancer patients. “It was a huge effort just to get pain management guidelines for this patient group,” she says.

Recently published studies report that misconceptions remain, and palliative pain management is often suboptimal despite new guidelines for end-of-life pain care (Gardiner, Gott, Ingleton, Hughes, Winslow, & Bennett, 2012; Shaheen et al., 2010). For patients with chronic noncancer pain, opioid prescription remains highly controversial, and even in the wake of prescription guidelines and educational efforts, primary care physicians continue to practice under misconceptions about appropriate opioid use vs. addiction, leading to patient undertreatment (Wolfert, Gilson, Dahl, & Cleary, 2010; Hooten & Bruce, 2011). Surveys of physician knowledge about opioid prescriptions indicate that overall pain management expertise is lacking; knowledge and comfort with opioid pain management is low; medical training in appropriate opioid use is inadequate; pain management referral options are lacking; pain management reimbursement is limited; and concerns regarding patient addiction are common (Keller, Ashrafioun, Neumann, Van Klein, Fox, & Blondell, 2012; Barry et al., 2010).

Negative language associated with prescription opioids further contributes to ongoing misconceptions. “Terminology for these drugs should be finessed to minimize repercussions in perception,” Otis-Green says. “Use ‘opioids’ or ‘pain medication,’ not ‘painkiller’ or ‘narcotic.’”

To read more please click here: http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net/apps/forums/topics/show/13137800-pain-care-advocacy-in-an-era-of-opioid-abuse-part-2

The Connection Between Chronic Pain and Suicide


The Connection Between Chronic Pain and Suicide

Spine injuries can lead to chronic pain, which in turn may cause feelings of depression, anxiety and hopelessness.
Sadly, some people who experience these debilitating emotions admit their desire to end their own lives.

Where to turn if you are considering suicide
If you are considering committing suicide, please visit the “Suicide Help” page on the nonprofit website HelpGuide.org.

The professionals at the site instruct suicidal people to “call 1-800-273-TALK in the U.S. or visit Befrienders Worldwide to find a helpline in your country. Or talk to someone you trust, and let them know how bad things are.”

Basic facts about suicide and pain
To learn more about the relationship between suicide and pain, I contacted Jill M. Harkavy-Friedman, PhD, Vice President of Research at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, to ask her what research shows us about the connection between the two.

To read more please click on this link:
http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net/apps/forums/topics/show/12874626-the-connection-between-chronic-pain-and-suicide

FDA Approves Omidria for Use in Cataract and Other Intraocular Lens Replacement Procedures


FDA Approves Omidria for Use in

Omeros Corporation (NASDAQ: OMER) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Omidria (phenylephrine and ketorolac injection) 1%/0.3% for use during cataract surgery or intraocular lens replacement (ILR) to maintain pupil size by preventing intraoperative miosis (pupil constriction) and to reduce postoperative pain. The approval comes with no post-marketing commitments other than the previously agreed study of Omidria for use in pediatric patients, which, if successfully completed, makes the drug eligible for an additional six months of marketing exclusivity in the U.S. Omidria, the first commercial product from Omeros’ PharmacoSurgery® platform, is a proprietary combination of a mydriatic (pupil-dilating) agent and an anti-inflammatory agent that is added to irrigation solution standardly used during cataract surgery and other ILR procedures (e.g., refractive lens exchange), collectively the most common surgical procedures performed in the U.S. at nearly four million annually. Omidria is the only FDA-approved product for intraocular use that prevents intraoperative miosis and reduces postoperative pain, providing consistent and predictable management of both of these ILR-related problems for ophthalmic surgeons and their patients. To read more, please click on this link: http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net/apps/forums/topics/show/12978624-fda-approves-omidria-for-use-in-cataract-and-other-intraocular-lens-replacement-procedures

Can Virtual Reality Therapy Help Alleviate Chronic Pain?


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Can Virtual Reality Therapy Help Alleviate Chronic Pain?

New Rochelle, NY — Chronic pain due to disease or injury is common, and even prescription pain medications cannot provide acceptable pain relief for many individuals.
Virtual reality as a means of distraction, inducing positive emotions, or creating the perception of “swapping” a limb or bodily area affected by chronic pain in a virtual environment can be a powerful therapeutic tool, as described in several articles in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The articles are available free on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website.

Editor-in-Chief Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, MBA, BCB, BCN and coauthors Kenneth Gao, Camelia Sulea, MD, and Mark Wiederhold, MD, PhD, FACP from the Virtual Reality Medical Institute, Brussels, Belgium and Virtual Reality Medical Center, San Diego, CA, created pleasant virtual experiences that patients could navigate through in simulated worlds to distract them from pain. They report both the patients’ subjective ratings of relief and how those compared to physiological measurements to assess pain responses in the article “Virtual Reality as a Distraction Technique in Chronic Pain Patients.”

To read more please click on this link:
http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net/apps/forums/topics/show/12961376-can-virtual-reality-therapy-help-alleviate-chronic-pain-

HEALTH LINE: Understanding and Managing Chronic Pain


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HEALTH LINE: Understanding and Managing Chronic Pain

CINCINNATI—Acupuncture, exercise and massage and physical therapy are among the ways to deal with chronic pain that don’t require narcotic painkillers, says Nancy Elder, MD, professor of family and community medicine at the University of Cincinnati.
“A lot of patients think, ‘Oh, I hurt a lot, I hurt a lot all the time, the doctor should give me OxyContin and Vicodin,’” says Elder. “I think the most important thing that doctors and patients need to know is there is much we can do to help patients with chronic pain outside of narcotics.

“That doesn’t mean narcotics aren’t appropriate for some people in certain situations, but there are a whole lot of people that can get better without them,” she adds.

Elder says more doctors must have initial conversations with patients to manage expectations in dealing with chronic pain.

To read more please click on this link:
http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net/apps/forums/topics/show/12961362-health-line-understanding-and-managing-chronic-pain

Opioid painkiller prescribing varies widely among states Where you live makes a difference


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Opioid painkiller prescribing varies widely among states

Where you live makes a difference

Health care providers in some states prescribed far more painkillers than those in other states.
Health care providers wrote 259 million prescriptions for opioid painkillers in 2012 – many more in some states than in others – according to a Vital Signs report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that highlights the danger of overdose. The report also has an example of a state that reversed its overdose trend.
Health care providers in the highest prescribing state, Alabama, wrote almost three times as many of these prescriptions per person as those in the lowest prescribing state, Hawaii. Most of the highest prescribing states were in the South. Previous research has shown that regional variation in use of prescriptions cannot be explained by the underlying health status of the population.
The Vital Signs report also contains a study highlighting the success of Florida in reversing prescription drug overdose trends. Results showed that after statewide legislative and enforcement actions in 2010 and 2011, the death rate from prescription drug overdose decreased 23 percent between 2010 and 2012. Florida officials had taken these actions in response to a 28 percent increase in the drug overdose death rate over the preceding years (2006-2010).

To read more please click on this link:
http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net/apps/forums/topics/show/12961249-opioid-painkiller-prescribing-varies-widely-among-states

Telecare Intervention Improves Chronic Pain for VA Patients


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Telecare Intervention Improves Chronic Pain for VA Patients

A telecare intervention using basic telephone technology and collaborative care management resulted in clinically meaningful improvements in chronic musculoskeletal pain compared with usual care, according to an article published online July 15 in JAMA.

Kurt Kroenke, MD, from the Veterans Administration (VA) Center for Health Information and Communication, Roudebush VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, Indiana, and colleagues conducted a randomized trial involving 250 patients from 5 primary care clinics within the center between June 2010 and May 2012.

Of the 250 patients, research assistants randomly assigned 124 to an intervention group and 126 to a usual-care group. All patients had chronic musculoskeletal pain for at least 3 months of at least moderate intensity, meaning a Brief Pain Inventory score of 5 or more on a 10-point scale. Movement of 1 point on the scale is considered clinically meaningful.

To Read More, Please go to:
http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net/apps/forums/topics/show/12958084-telecare-intervention-improves-chronic-pain-for-va-patients

New Drug May Treat Constipation Caused by Strong Painkillers


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New Drug May Treat Constipation Caused by Strong Painkillers

A new drug holds promise as a safe and effective treatment for constipation caused by prescription narcotic painkillers, new research states.

Constipation is a common side effect experienced by patients taking these powerful medications for chronic pain. When laxatives failed to provide relief, two phase 3 trials found the once-daily drug naloxegol could help.

“The studies showed rapid and sustained improvement for these patients, without compromising their pain management,” study author Dr. William Chey, a gastroenterologist and professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health System, said in a university news release.  To read more please go to this link:

http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net/apps/forums/topics/show/12936291-new-drug-may-treat-constipation-caused-by-strong-painkillers

OFF-LABEL PHARMACEUTICAL USE


OFF-LABEL PHARMACEUTICAL USE
According to NIH, there are almost 7,000 identified distinct rare diseases, the vast majority of which are genetic in nature. The Orphan Drug Act of 1983 has been a landmark success at making the development of orphan products a profitable venture, thereby driving industry to invest in research and development for rare disease treatments. To date, some 2,200 investigational therapies have been designated “orphan drugs” by FDA’s Office of Orphan Products Development, and 360 of these have gone on through the review process to be approved for marketing.
The approval of 360 drugs is a huge step in the right direction for the rare disease community. However, these drugs are indicated for only about 200 rare diseases, leaving approximately 6,800 diseases without FDA-approved treatment. In other words,

To read more please go to:
http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net/apps/forums/topics/show/12780050-off-label-pharmaceutical-use

Drug Shortages


Drug Shortages

FDA takes great efforts, within its legal authority, to address and prevent drug shortages, which can occur for many reasons, including manufacturing and quality problems, delays, and discontinuations. The agency works closely with manufacturers of drugs in short supply to communicate the issue and to help restore availability. FDA also works with other firms who manufacturer the same drug, asking them to increase production, if possible, in order to prevent or reduce the impact of a shortage.
To read more please click on this link: http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net/apps/forums/topics/show/12854280-drug-shortages

How FDA Evaluates Regulated Products: Drugs


How FDA Evaluates Regulated Products: Drugs

The Food and Drug Administration’s Strategic Action Plan for Risk Communication is an initiative to tell consumers how the agency makes decisions on the safety and effectiveness of FDA-regulated products. This is the first in a series of articles about the data and methods—and their limitations—that FDA uses to determine whether products are safe for patients and consumers to use.
This is how the agency’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research evaluates the safety and effectiveness of drugs.
The Regulation of Drugs

How the Facts Are Collected:
To read more please click on this link: http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net/apps/forums/topics/show/12854244-how-fda-evaluates-regulated-products-drugs

How to Keep Your Marriage Healthy When One of You Is in Pain


How to Keep Your Marriage Healthy When One of You Is in Pain

For many chronic pain patients, their spouse can do a tremendous amount to help, but the patient, in the end, is isolated with his or her pain. The burden of living with it and helping with it can put an enormous strain on even the happiest marriage.
Jan, 45, of Boulder, Colo., recognizes that her chronic back pain has been very hard on her marriage.
To read more of this article please click on the link:
http://www.chronicintractablepainandyou.net/apps/forums/topics/show/12844944-how-to-keep-your-marriage-healthy-when-one-of-you-is-in-pain

6 Mistakes Pain Patients Make Getting the best care


6 Mistakes Pain Patients Make Getting the best care

It’s not uncommon for chronic pain patients to report a difficult encounter with a doctor.
“One of the things that patients cry out the most for is having someone actually listen to them and understand them,” says Micke Brown, director of advocacy at the American Pain Foundation.
Andrea Cooper, 52, a fibromyalgia patient and patient advocate in Phoenix, Md., agrees, but also notes that a patient’s actions can sometimes make a doctor’s job harder.
Here’s how to avoid the top six pain patient no-no’s.
Arriving unprepared
Cooper recommends writing down questions in order of priority, keeping a pain diary, and having medication refill needs on hand. To read more, please click the link:
http://www.drpattysnewcipaycourseonhowtobeabetteradvocate.net/apps/forums/topics/show/12843664-6-mistakes-pain-patients-make-getting-the-best-care