Some recognizable examples of Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), diclofenac, and naproxen (Aleve). They are frequently used as the first line of defence to reduce pain and inflammation. Most NSAID medications are available without a prescription and are widely used to reduce fever and pain related to long- and short-term medical conditions such as … Read more
An amazingly informative video prepared and submitted by St. Michael’s Hospital physician Dr. Irfan Dhalla for the FDA. In the video are some very scary statistics about Opioid misuse in Ontario. Among the statistics Dr. Dhalla points out: As many as 33% of opioid patients meet the criteria for an opioid use disorder Elderly patients … Read more
There are a number of media outlets covering the story of Oxycontin and the generic formula. Two worth reading can be found through the National Post: The first is a news article, by Sharon Kirkey, and paints a very clear, balanced and detailed picture of the issue and debate. If you want to understand the … Read more
There are some very interesting studies being published about the link between migraine headaches and increasing likelihood of suicide: From a pool of 4,765 persons randomly screened in the community (Detroit, Michigan area), the researchers arrived at a final sample of 1,186 respondents with full assessments via face-to-face interviews: 1) migraine (N = 496), 2) … Read more
Despite the makers of OxyContin saying they are doing everything they can to limit or try and prevent the abuse of their products, statistics show an exploding rate of addition to their pain killers. To make the medication harder for addicts to abuse or concentrate, the makers of the drug have released OxyNEO (details of … Read more
There is an impressively comprehensive article written on the Huffington Post website titled The War Over Prescription Painkillers by Radley Balko. Worth a read because it’s well-researched and very clear if you’re wondering how and why the situation with respect to such a massive patient population has gotten this way. He’s also done a good … Read more
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of babies born with additions to pain killers – additions they have because their mothers were on the drugs while pregnant. USA Today reports that while there are no surveys that cover the entire US (or Canada) on this issue, here are few highlights of the … Read more
Loren Fishman, MD, Medical Director of Manhattan Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in New York City put together a set of slides here that are worth looking at. They have a very important and practical list of things you can do to manage your chronic back pain: from sitting properly in a chair to having the … Read more