Question

1. What are the first choice medications for mild to moderate pain?

2. Why are we concerned with the number of acetaminophen tablets taken per day?

3. What side effects are caused by NSAIDS? In what patients are they contraindicated?

4. Which medications should be prescribed for severe pain? What medication is used as an antidote to overdose of these drugs?

5. What types (classes of drugs) of medications are used to treat the inflammation in inflammatory arthritis like rheumatoid arthritis?

6. What is the difference in a prophylactic vs. abortive medication in headache management? Give an example of each.

7. Why are medications like duloxetine used for chronic pain?

8. Which medication or medications are used to treat peripheral neuropathy such as diabetic neuropathy?

Answer 1

1. NSAIDs are the first choice of medication for mild to moderate pain. eg; Ibuprofen, celecoxib, acetaminophen etc.

2. As it may be case of the poisoning and hence hepatotoxicity may occur, daily dose limit is 4000mg.

3. Most common side effects are gastric irritation and diarrhea. They are contraindicating in the case of breastfeeding of the neonate having the signs of the jaundice.

4. In the case of severe pain go for the opiodal analgesics and Naloxone, a prime antidote for the case of opioid overdose.

5. For inflammation in RA(Rheunatoid arthritis) NSAIDS are widely used along with the glucocorticoids like betamethasone for the management of inflammation in RA.

6. Prophylactic means the preventive medicines for headache management eg. propanalol while Abortive medications treat the headache or migraine when it starts eg. Sumatriptan

7. Duloxetine a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor is used for musculoskeletal pain in the chronic conditions, as it treats the neuronal pain and associated depressions

8. Pregabalin and gabapentin are widely used to treat diabetic neuropathy.