Drug Class Review: Drugs for Neuropathic Pain: Final Report [Internet]

Roger Chou; Susan L Norris; Susan Carson; Benjamin KS Chan

Drug Class Review: Drugs for Neuropathic Pain: Final Report [Internet]

Review

Portland (OR): Oregon Health & Science University; 2007 Oct.

Drug Class Reviews.

Authors

Roger Chou¹, Susan L Norris¹, Susan Carson¹, Benjamin KS Chan¹

Affiliation

¹ Oregon Evidence-based Practice Center, Oregon Health & Science University

PMID: 20496446
Bookshelf ID: NBK10594

Excerpt

Neuropathic pain (NP) is defined by the International Association for the Study of Pain as "pain initiated or caused by a primary lesion or dysfunction in the nervous system." A number of medications (oral or topical) are available for treating NP. Some medications may act by decreasing nerve excitability and conduction in sensory axons. Others may have effects on neural damage-related synaptic changes (particularly for central pain). However,the mechanism of action for various drugs varies substantially and in some cases is not well understood. The purpose of this review is to compare the effectiveness and harms of gabapentin, pregabalin, duloxetine, venlafaxine, and topical lidocaine (patch or gel) for neuropathic pain.

Sections

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The funding source, the Center for Evidence-based Policy, is supported by 17 organizations, including 15 state Medicaid programs. These organizations selected the topic and had input into the Key Questions for this review. The content and conclusions of the review are entirely determined by the Evidence-based Practice Center researchers. The authors of this report have no financial interest in any company that makes or distributes the products reviewed in this report.