Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Mar;26(3):864-873.
doi: 10.1007/s10461-021-03447-x. Epub 2021 Sep 1.

Pharmacologic and Non-Pharmacologic Treatments for Chronic Pain Used by Patients with Pain, HIV, and Depression

Lisa A Uebelacker  1   2 , Emily M Cherenack  3   4 , Andrew Busch  5   6 , Jason V Baker  5   6 , Megan Pinkston  3   7 , Neil Gleason  5 , Stephanie Madden  7 , Celeste M Caviness  3   4 , Michael D Stein  3   4   8
Affiliations

Pharmacologic and Non-Pharmacologic Treatments for Chronic Pain Used by Patients with Pain, HIV, and Depression

Lisa A Uebelacker et al. AIDS Behav. 2022 Mar.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to understand pain treatment utilization, perceived efficacy, and differences in utilization by gender, clinic site, chronicity of pain, pain severity, and depression severity among people living with HIV (PLWH), chronic pain, and elevated depression symptoms. Participants included 187 PLWH at three HIV clinics in the U.S. Overall, 85% of participants reported taking a pain medication. One quarter (25%) reported non-pharmacological professional treatments for pain (e.g., massage, physical therapy), 60% reported mind-body treatments, including exercise, meditation, and yoga, and 62% reported other non-pharmacological self-administered treatments (e.g., heat/cold). Most pain treatments were considered "slightly helpful" or "moderately helpful." Non-pharmacological self-administered treatments were more commonly used among women than men and among individuals with constant vs. intermittent pain. Further research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of the preferred analgesic modalities of PLWH.

Keywords: Chronic pain; Depression; HIV; Treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest

Dr. Uebelacker’s spouse is employed by Abbvie Pharmaceuticals. No other potential conflicts of interest declared.

References

    1. Cervia LD, McGowan JP, Weseley AJ. Clinical and demographic variables related to pain in HIV-infected individuals treated with effective, combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). Pain Med 2010;11(4):498–503. doi:10.1111/j.1526-4637.2010.00802.x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Dobalian A, Tsao JCI, Duncan RP. Pain and the use of outpatient services among persons with HIV: Results from a nationally representative survey. Med Care 2004;42(2):129–138. doi:10.1097/01.mlr.0000108744.45327.d4 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lee KA, Gay C, Portillo CJ, et al. Symptom experience in HIV-infected adults: A function of demographic and clinical characteristics. J Pain Symptom Manage 2009;38(6):882–893. doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2009.05.013 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Merlin JS, Cen L, Praestgaard A, et al. Pain and physical and psychological symptoms in ambulatory HIV patients in the current treatment era. J Pain Symptom Manage 2012;43(3):638–645. doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2011.04.019 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Newshan G, Bennett J, Holman S. Pain and other symptoms in ambulatory HIV patients in the age of highly active antiretroviral therapy. J Assoc Nurses AIDS Care 2002;13(4):78–83. doi:10.1016/S1055-3290(06)60373-7 - DOI - PubMed