Pain Management News & Features

Americans continue to look to the medicine cabinet for pain relief, with 1 in 10 using some type of prescription painkiller, a new U.S. government report says.

Turns out that swearing can significantly increase your pain tolerance -- but only if you use real swear words, and not G-rated versions that mimic them, British researchers report.

An injectable electrode could prove a better way to ease chronic nerve pain than opioid painkillers or bulky and expensive implants.

Production and distribution of Excedrin Extra Strength and Excedrin Migraine products have been temporarily stopped

Before a new prescription is written for more than 10 opioid pills, doctors must check a patient's pain medication history in the state prescribing database, and patients must sign an informed consent.

People with chronic pain conditions are more likely to suffer pain on humid and windy days, according to a study that used smartphones to assess pain-weather connections.

Researchers found that among patients who had the treatment at their center, 8% had complications. Most often, that meant a worsening in cartilage breakdown in the joint. But a small number of patients suffered bone loss or stress fractures.

Previously, all forms of marijuana were prohibited in carry-on bags and checked luggage, the Associated Press reported.

The FDA’s new warning says that stopping an opioid painkiller can cause uncontrolled pain or withdrawal symptoms. As a result, the patient may to try to get opioid pain meds from other sources. That’s behavior that can be confused with “drug-seeking” for abuse rather than pain relief.

In a 2015 study, researchers evaluated 75 marijuana edibles and found only 17% accurately labeled.

Some insurers had cited the CDC’s previous opioid guidelines and refused to pay for prescriptions for patients with cancer or sickle cell anemia, or other chronic pain conditions.

Walgreens will sell the CBD products in Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vermont, South Carolina, Illinois and Indiana, according to CNBC.

And not only does her DNA allow Jo Cameron, a former school teacher from Scotland, to avoid physical pain, it also keeps her largely anxiety-free, too.

Curaleaf operates more than 40 marijuana dispensaries across 12 states and also offers hemp-derived products including lotions, tinctures, vape pens and patches.

Researchers found changes in areas of the brain that affect pain and pain relief when study subjects were deprived of sleep.

In a poll of medical marijuana patients in Michigan, more than half acknowledged having driven within two hours of consuming a cannabis treatment at least once during the prior six months. About 20 percent they had done so while "very high," while about half described being "a little high" while driving.

The list of states approving medical or recreational use of marijuana and CBD keeps growing. Thirty-three states have passed medical marijuana laws. Twelve states have enacted CBD-explicit medical laws.

Hundreds of clinics touting unapproved stem cell treatments have sprung up across the United States. But shoddy oversight may have led some hopeful patients to be seriously harmed, not helped, by these therapies, the FDA says.

Researchers said the findings add to evidence that for most people with chronic pain, opioids should be a last resort, if they're prescribed at all.

A study,of nearly 89,000 U.S. patients found that people given physical therapy for their pain were 7 percent to 16 percent less likely to fill a prescription for an opioid.

While formal research into the benefits of aromatherapy poses many challenges, some evidence does suggest that the alternative treatment may help relieve nausea, anxiety, various types of pain, and a number of other conditions.

A mountain climber from Maine is scaling rock walls again after having a new type of amputation surgery that eliminates the “phantom limb” effect.

An FDA advisory committee did recommend for approval of Dsuvia in a 10-3 vote last month.  But the committee's chair took the highly unusual move of voicing his opposition at that time. Dr. Raeford Brown, a professor of anesthesiology and pediatrics at the University of Kentucky, urged the FDA to reject the drug.

The company says there's a need for opioid pain medicines that don't require swallowing, because some patients have difficulty taking oral medication and may not have access to IV opioids. The FDA had earlier flagged two safety concerns.

The survey, of more than 500 patients scheduled for surgery, found that more than three-quarters expected to get opioids afterward. Most also thought opioids were the most effective treatment for post-surgery pain.