Drug Combo Helps Neuropathic Pain
Reported March 31, 2005
(Ivanhoe Newswire)
— New research reveals combining the drugs gabapentin and morphine helps relieve neuropathic pain, which is often difficult to treat and can accompany diseases such as cancer, diabetes or HIV.
Neuropathic pain is characterized by a burning, stabbing or searing sensation. Its cause is hard to pinpoint since the pain usually results from nerves not functioning properly.
Researchers in Canada randomly assigned 41 patients suffering from painful diabetic neuropathy or postherpetic neuralgic to either a gabapentin/morphine combo, morphine only, gabapentin only, or a placebo.
Results show patients taking the gabapentin/morphine combo experienced the most pain relief compared to those who took the placebo or those who only took one drug. When combined, smaller amounts of each drug were used to achieve better pain relief than if either drug was taken alone.
Authors conclude, “Gabapentin and morphine combined achieved better analgesia at lower doses of each drug than either as a single agent, with constipation, sedation, and dry mouth as the most frequent adverse effects.”
SOURCE: The New England Journal of Medicine, 2005;352:1324-1334
