Self-medication for chronic pain unsafe

[kkmalaysia]

More than half of chronic pain sufferers in the Asian region practice some form of self-medication that may be unsafe, shows a survey.

The first Asian Survey on Self-Medication for Chronic Pain was an online survey initiated in June involving 1,220 patients in China, Taiwan and Thailand. “The primary objective of this survey was to assess self-medication habits amongst chronic pain sufferers in Asia as well as their awareness of the side effects of such medications,” said Dr. Alex Yeo Sow-Nam, director of The Pain Specialist at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, Singapore, at a press conference. In this survey, chronic pain was defined as pain persisting for more than 6 months.

“Overall, roughly 60 percent of the respondents in the three countries took medications for pain relief, despite not being under a doctor’s supervision at the time of the survey,” said Yeo. With regard to awareness of the side effects of NSAIDs, the survey reported kidney problems/failure as the most recalled side effect. “However, only one in five respondents was aware of the link between NSAID intake and intestinal bleeding and ulcers.”

A significant number of participants reported exclusive use of alternative remedies to control pain – Taiwan contributed the highest number with 33.1 percent – while approximately half of all respondents in China and Thailand, and a quarter of respondents in Taiwan, reported combining alternative treatments with prescribed medication and/or over-the-counter (OTC) medication.

The survey also found that most respondents (73.9 percent, 72.7 percent and 65.6 percent in China, Thailand and Taiwan, respectively) favored alternative treatments over Western medicines as they believed the former had fewer side effects. “There may be an inaccurate perception that alternative medicine is not ‘real’ medicine and is therefore safer and less addictive when compared and/or combined with prescription and/or OTC medication,” Yeo said.

Among those who took NSAIDs, 28.4 percent of Chinese respondents believed they had experienced adverse reactions in comparison to 14.4 percent of Taiwanese. Some 21.7 percent of Thai respondents did not know whether or not they had experienced any adverse reactions.

The most commonly reported side effect was gastric or abdominal pain. Overall, Yeo noted, there appeared to be limited understanding of NSAID-related adverse reactions. “This can lead to unsafe use of pain relief treatment alone and in combination with other drugs.”

“While occasional use of OTC medicines for infrequently occurring aches and pains [may be] appropriate for [some] people, it is a cause for concern that so many patients self-medicate with a combination of pills that could be potentially harmful over the long term.” Chronic pain, he stressed, is a complex condition and it is essential that patients seek their physician’s help early for safe, effective pain relief and ongoing pain management.

At the same press conference, Dr. Francis Ka-Leung Chan, an honorary consultant physician at the Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong and Associate Dean (Clinical) of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, summarized the results of the CONDOR* study, which reported that the risk of clinical outcomes throughout the gastrointestinal tract was lower in patients treated with a cyclooxygenase (COX)-2-selective NSAID than in those receiving a non-selective NSAID plus a proton-pump inhibitor. “Results from the CONDOR study can help physicians select arthritis therapy based on safety of the entire gastrointestinal tract,” said Chan. [Lancet Advance online publication. DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60673-3]


Source: Medical Tribune

[stevenmaico]

Really good information are shared by you all and I  know few about it such as use of prescription medicine for chronic pain starts rather innocently. Chronic pain can lead to dangerous self-medication and even clinical depression. Many people suffer from chronic pain conditions or mental illnesses in a self-imposed silence.