Good Afternoon, and Happy Halloween!!
Since the end of the month is upon us, it's time for me to cram in another BCPS re-certification course. What better way to spend a rainy Halloween afternoon? This month, I completed the ASHP Literature Study Module regarding pain management. The module included three articles:
- Effect of Duloxetine on Pain, Function, and Quality of Life Among Patients with Chemotherapy-Induced Painful Peripheral Neuropathy
- Opioids Compared with Placebo or other Treatments for Chronic Low Back Pain
- Prevention and Management of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Survivors of Adult Cancers: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline
I basically learned one major thing from completing this module: pain is scary and we don't know how to treat it very well...how's that for a scary Halloween story? Pain control remains one of the great unknowns of modern medicine, with limited efficacy data to support certain medications in a variety of situations. I learned a couple of pearls and tidbits this month (including the preference for duloxetine for chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain, the fact that there is no good recommendation for preventing chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain, and that opioids have the strongest data to support their use in chronic lower back pain).
The strongest pain medication I have ever taken is acetaminophen, and I think it can be easy for us to forget the daily frustrations our patients are going through in order to try to balance pain control with the side effects of the medications. Pain is such a personal issue, and it a good knowledge of both the literature and the specific patient being treated in order to make practical recommendations. I hope to be able to use what I have learned through this module next time!
Until next time, take care!
Next month: Neurologic Disorders and Geriatric :)
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