Anticonvulsants for adjuvant treatment of cancer pain

Tomasz Dzierżanowski; Aleksandra Ciałkowska-Rysz

eISSN: 2081-2833
ISSN: 2081-0016

Medycyna Paliatywna/Palliative Medicine

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4/2012
vol. 4

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abstract:

Review paper

Anticonvulsants for adjuvant treatment of cancer pain

Tomasz Dzierżanowski

,

Aleksandra Ciałkowska-Rysz

Medycyna Paliatywna 2012; 4: 197–203

Online publish date: 2013/01/31

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Several types of cancer pain are difficult to treat. Neuropathic pain is one of refractory types of pain, is posed to have higher intensity and results in higher than other types of pain decrease of quality of life. The strategy of treatment consists in combined use of on opioid analgesic and an adjuvant: a tricyclic antidepressant or an anticonvulsant. The recommended anticonvulsants are gabapentin and pregabalin. The older ones are not recommended in spite of insufficient evidence for their effectiveness in the management of pain. Pregabalin is a novel drug that is characterized by higher effectiveness, better profile of adverse effects and ease of treatment in comparison to older anticonvulsants. This paper is aimed to present the newest available data from systematic reviews, as well as the most up-to-date guidelines of the international organizations of palliative care and oncology.

keywords:

Anticonvulsants for adjuvant treatment of cancer pain

Tomasz Dzierżanowski , Aleksandra Ciałkowska-Rysz

cancer pain, neuropathic pain, anticonvulsants

Tomasz Dzierżanowski

,

Aleksandra Ciałkowska-Rysz