People with nerve pain respond better to a combination treatment using the anticonvulsant gabapentin and antidepressant nortriptyline than to treatment with either drug alone, according to Canadian researchers.
The study findings suggest that combination treatment could be used to help people who only partially respond to one drug or the other.
Nerve, or neuropathic, pain -- which affects 2 to 3 percent of the population -- is "initiated or caused by a primary lesion or dysfunction in the nervous system," according to a news release from The Lancet, which is publishing the study online Sept. 29. Conditions that cause neuropathic pain include nerve problems in the spine, diabetes-related nerve damage and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), which is nerve pain caused by the varicella zoster virus that can follow an outbreak of shingles.
ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION
Showing posts with label anticonvulsant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anticonvulsant. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Dueling Intimidation Allegations Filed in Neurontin Litigation
The continuing litigation about whether Pfizer’s anti-seizure medication Neurontin is linked to suicidal behavior in some patients has been marred by allegations filed by attorneys on both sides accusing the other of using intimidation and strong-arm tactics.
Neurontin, known chemically as gabapentin, is an anti-epileptic medication (also called an anticonvulsant) taken by patients to reduce or eliminate seizures in adults and children as young as 12. The drug has been associated with serious side effects, most notably suicide.
Pfizer
Attorneys representing victims of Neurontin recently accused Pfizer’s counsel of trying to intimidate a potential key witness in the case. Pfizer’s attorneys then returned fire with a similar complaint against David Egilman, an expert witness for the plaintiffs.
READ MORE AT ATTORNEYATLAW.COM
Neurontin, known chemically as gabapentin, is an anti-epileptic medication (also called an anticonvulsant) taken by patients to reduce or eliminate seizures in adults and children as young as 12. The drug has been associated with serious side effects, most notably suicide.
Pfizer
Attorneys representing victims of Neurontin recently accused Pfizer’s counsel of trying to intimidate a potential key witness in the case. Pfizer’s attorneys then returned fire with a similar complaint against David Egilman, an expert witness for the plaintiffs.
READ MORE AT ATTORNEYATLAW.COM
Saturday, January 26, 2008
FDA fast-tracks first cocaine, meth addiction fighter
Deerfield-based Ovation Pharmaceuticals said Tuesday its drug vigabatrin, being developed to treat cocaine and methamphetamine dependence, has landed “fast track” designation from U.S. regulators potentially speeding up the process for market approval.
The drug would be the first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of the addictions.
The anticonvulsant drug, to be marketed under the brand name Sabril, is believed to block the craving and euphoria associated with cocaine and meth use. It is thought to work by increasing brain levels of so-called gamma-aminobutyric acid, a transmitter that inhibits certain activity in the brain.
Data from animal testing and two small-scale early-stage studies in people with chronic cocaine and meth addiction have found that when given Sabril, cocaine and meth users no longer have a craving for the drugs, and if the drugs are taken, the users have no euphoria related to taking them, executives have said.
Ovation is collaborating with the National Institute on Drug Abuse on Phase II studies to evaluate the safety of the drug. Phase III trials are expected to be launched by the end of next year.
READ MORE @ CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
The drug would be the first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of the addictions.
The anticonvulsant drug, to be marketed under the brand name Sabril, is believed to block the craving and euphoria associated with cocaine and meth use. It is thought to work by increasing brain levels of so-called gamma-aminobutyric acid, a transmitter that inhibits certain activity in the brain.
Data from animal testing and two small-scale early-stage studies in people with chronic cocaine and meth addiction have found that when given Sabril, cocaine and meth users no longer have a craving for the drugs, and if the drugs are taken, the users have no euphoria related to taking them, executives have said.
Ovation is collaborating with the National Institute on Drug Abuse on Phase II studies to evaluate the safety of the drug. Phase III trials are expected to be launched by the end of next year.
READ MORE @ CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
Friday, June 15, 2007
Gabapentin (Neurontin) Eases Chronic Pain in Fibromyalgia
For treating the chronic pain and other symptoms of fibromyalgia, the anticonvulsant gabapentin (Neurontin) proved safe and effective, researchers here reported.
In a 12-week randomized, double-blind clinical trial, patients taking gabapentin displayed significantly less pain, better sleep, and less fatigue than placebo controls, Lesley M. Arnold, M.D., of the University of Cincinnati, and colleagues reported in the April issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism.
READ MORE @ MEDPAGE TODAY
In a 12-week randomized, double-blind clinical trial, patients taking gabapentin displayed significantly less pain, better sleep, and less fatigue than placebo controls, Lesley M. Arnold, M.D., of the University of Cincinnati, and colleagues reported in the April issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism.
READ MORE @ MEDPAGE TODAY
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Depression with dysphoria may need two drug types
Findings from a small study suggest that combining an antidepressant with an anticonvulsive drug, a type of drug normally used to treat epilepsy, may be an effective treatment for patients with depression plus dysphoric mood, such as anger or hostility.
READ MORE @ REUTERS
READ MORE @ REUTERS
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Epilepsy Drug Can Increase Risk for Newborns, Study Says
Doctors reported yesterday that expectant mothers with epilepsy who took a commonly prescribed drug to control seizures were at increased risk of having a child with mental deficits.
Toddlers who had been exposed in the womb to the drug Depakote, from Abbott Laboratories, scored seven to eight points lower on I.Q. tests at age 2 than those whose mothers had been taking other epilepsy drugs while pregnant, the study found. They were twice as likely to score in the range associated with mental retardation, according to the authors, who presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Boston.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
Toddlers who had been exposed in the womb to the drug Depakote, from Abbott Laboratories, scored seven to eight points lower on I.Q. tests at age 2 than those whose mothers had been taking other epilepsy drugs while pregnant, the study found. They were twice as likely to score in the range associated with mental retardation, according to the authors, who presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Boston.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
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