APS 2010 Chronic Non-Cancer Pain

Rates of spinal surgery to treat low back pain have soared over the past two decades; today, approximately 3.5 million people report significant chronic postsurgical pain. Increasingly, these patients are referred for multidisciplinary pain management, necessitating clinicians recognize the diversity of chronic pain syndromes so they can optimize outcome by matching each patient to the best available treatment, symposium presenters told those attending The American Pain Society’s 29th Annual Scientific Meeting.

Prior opioid experience had no effect on discontinuation of tapentadol extended-release (ER) due to gastrointestinal treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) in patients with moderate-to-severe chronic low back or osteoarthritis pain, investigators reported during the American Pain Society’s 29th Annual Scientific Meeting.

Treatment with tapentadol extended-release (ER) may result in better long-term compliance and more enduring pain relief than oxycodone controlled-release (CR) in patients with moderate-to-severe chronic low back or osteoarthritis pain, according to a study presented at The American Pain Society’s 29th Annual Meeting.

Patients with fibromyalgia reported feeling much better and experienced greater pain reduction with flexible doses of duloxetine (60-120 mg/day) compared with placebo, investigators reported during The American Pain Society’s 29th Annual Scientific Meeting.

Does gabapentin reduce pain and improve function and quality of life in patients with chronic low back pain? Results of a randomized, placebo-controlled trial presented at The American Pain Society’s 29th Annual Scientific Meeting suggest the answer is “no,” despite the frequent prescribing of the anticonvulsant for this condition.