Pharmacology of opioid and nonopioid analgesics in chronic pain states

Abstract

Chronic pain represents a mixture of pathophysiologic mechanisms, a complex assortment of spontaneous and elicited pain states, and a somewhat unpredictable response to analgesics. Opioids remain the mainstay of treatment of moderate to severe chronic pain, although there is little systematic examination to guide drug selection. Cyclooxygenase inhibitors play primarily an adjunctive role in chronic pain treatment. Agents with little activity in the treatment of acute pain, such as antidepressants, antiepileptics, and i.v. administered local anesthetics, are initiated in many patients and have significant long-term efficacy in some patients with chronic pain. The N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist ketamine and the alpha(2)-adrenergic agonist clonidine exhibit activity in patients with acute or chronic pain and reduce opioid consumption, but are often poorly tolerated due to side effects. Topical treatment with capsaicin or lidocaine exhibits efficacy in a subset of patients, and invasive intrathecal treatment with opioids as well as clonidine, neostigmine, and adenosine may have advantages in some patients. Several laboratory models have been developed to mimic chronic pain states found in humans. Nerve injury has been induced in rats by a variety of means, resulting in mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. A number of arthritic states have also been produced by means of chronic joint inflammation in rats. The pharmacology of these neuropathic and arthritic pain models generally resembles that found in the respective human conditions. Additional models of chronic pain, particularly visceral pain, have been developed; however, the pharmacology of these models is not well established at this time.