Chronic Pain News

Acupuncture Helps Migraines

Acupuncture would help to relieve the chronic headaches, migraine in particular. Such are the conclusions of a clinical study, carried out in England and in Wales, which was published in British Medical Journal. The study was made with an aim of evaluating if acupuncture could be rather effective, in the case of the headaches, to be integrated into the free care of the system of public health in England. (asscdm.com)

Risk From Vioxx Appeared Early

A correction published Monday to a key study on withdrawn painkiller Vioxx reveals the risk of heart problems was elevated throughout the time people were on the drug and did not develop only after 18 months of use as the drug's maker, Merck & Co., has contended. (usatoday.com)

Vioxx Still A Risk After You Stop Taking It

A leading cardiologist on Friday disputed Merck & Co's interpretation on the safety of patients once they stop taking Vioxx, saying they remained at high risk of heart attacks or strokes for some time afterward. (Reuters)

Vioxx Side Effects Can Occur in Two Weeks

The risk of taking the painkiller Vioxx is more acute than previously thought according to research published online on Tuesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

A quarter of patients who suffered a heart attack did so within the first two weeks of taking their first Vioxx prescription, a McGill University Health Center study revealed. (REUTERS)

Pfizer Advertising Celebrex Again

As it resumes advertising its controversial painkiller Celebrex, Pfizer, the world's biggest drug maker, is offering consumers a mixed message. Sixteen months after the company stopped advertising Celebrex over concerns about its heart risks, Pfizer has returned with new ads that juxtapose folksy imagery with a jarring, bold-face warning about the drug's dangers. "Important Information: CELEBREX may increase the chance of a heart attack or stroke that can lead to death," the paragraph-long caveat begins. (nytimes.com)

Drug for Relief of Chronic Shoulder Pain

After the rise in safety concerns surrounding Vioxx and other Cox-2 inhibitors, people suffering from chronic shoulder pain were left with just two therapy options at opposite extremes - take Advil, or have surgery. But a new study from Columbia University Medical Center shows that sodium hyaluronate, a drug that is FDA-approved for osteoarthritis of the knee, is also effective for shoulder pain. (hindu.com)

Tylenol Linked to Liver Failure

Think popping extra pain pills cannot hurt? Think again: Accidental poisonings from the nation's most popular pain reliever seem to be rising, making acetaminophen the leading cause of acute liver failure.

Use it correctly and acetaminophen, best known by the Tylenol brand, lives up to its reputation as one of the safest painkillers. It is taken by about 100 million people a year, and liver damage occurs in only a small fraction of users.

But it is damage that can kill or require a liver transplant, damage that frustrated liver specialists insist should be avoidable. (mercurynews.com)

Merck Failed to Disclose Truth About Vioxx Study

Authors of a study funded by Vioxx maker Merck & Co. failed to disclose in a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2000 that three additional patients in a clinical study suffered heart attacks while using the now-withdrawn painkiller, the journal wrote in an editorial released Thursday. (Washington Post)

Results from Glucosamine / Chondroitin Supplements Study

The early report from a long-awaited study of glucosamine/chondroitin supplements found no benefit for most people with arthritis, and the possibility of reduction in pain for people with moderate to severe arthritis. So what does this mean for you? (Washington Post)

DEA Is Opposed on Painkiller Approval

In an escalating dispute over how the government regulates powerful painkilling drugs, the Food and Drug Administration is seeking to prevent renewal of a provision that last year gave the Drug Enforcement Administration final say over allowing new narcotic medications on the market. (Washington Post)

Merck Found Negligent in Vioxx Case

The jury in Angleton, Texas, ruled after deliberating on the case for two days that Merck was negligent in its marketing of the drug Vioxx and liable for the death of a 59-year old man. The jury handed the plaintiffs $229 million in damages. Merck said it would appeal, but shares of the big New Jersey drug firm dropped 3% on news of the damage award. (The Street.com)

Cancer Drug Rituximab for Rheumatoid Arthritis

A single course of treatment with the cancer drug rituximab lessens the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis for up to two years, according to Canadian doctors. (macleans.ca)

Parkinson's Disease Drug for Fibromyalgia

A drug commonly used to treat Parkinson's disease may also ease the pain of fibromyalgia. A new study found that most people with fibromyalgia who took Mirapex in addition to their other medications experienced a significant decrease in pain. About eight in 10 reported some improvement in pain, and more than four in 10 reported a 50 percent or more improvement in their pain symptoms. (WebMD)

Migraines and Botox

Botulinum toxin A (Botox) injections can help prevent migraines in patients who have headaches almost every day, according to study results reported Thursday at the annual meeting of the American Headache Society in Philadelphia. (Reuters)

Cough Medicine May Help Fibromyalgia

The common over-the-counter cough medication dextromethorphan may help people with fibromyalgia, according to a small study by University of Florida researchers. (Yahoo! News)