Pain Archive

News briefs

Are you taking a medication that has depression or suicidal thinking as a potential side effect? One or both risks have been linked to use of more than 200 prescription and over-the-counter pills, including medicines that treat high blood pressure, heartburn, pain, and headaches. The more of these drugs you use, the higher the likelihood that you'll experience depression, suggests a study published June 12, 2018, in The Journal of the American Medical Association. Working with five surveys conducted over a nine-year period, researchers evaluated health information from 26,192 adults. About 37% of them reported taking such medications. Of individuals taking three or more of the medications with depression as a possible side effect, about 15% reported depression, compared with about 5% in people not using those medications. Even for people already taking an antidepressant, the addition of one or more of the identified medicines was linked to higher rates of depression. This study was based on surveys, so it didn't prove that the medications caused the reported depression. Nonetheless, if you think you're depressed (and have symptoms such as apathy, hopelessness, changes in sleep or eating habits, and persistent fatigue), ask your doctor if any of the medicines you are taking may be responsible.

Image: © Tero Vesalainen | GettyImages

Art therapy can be an effective way to help manage pain.

 Image: © Zinkevych/Getty Images

If you deal with pain from an injury, surgery, or just daily life, you may want to make some art.

Art therapy is a form of expressive therapy that taps into parts of the brain involved in the creative process. And this can help modify your response to emotional and physical concerns.

In the journals

If you suffer from low back pain and want to avoid taking strong pain medication, you might want to consult a physical therapist first, suggests a recent study published online May 23, 2018, by Health Services Research.

Researchers reviewed insurance claims for approximately 150,000 adults, ages 18 to 64, who had been newly diagnosed with low back pain. They found that those who first consulted a physical therapist had an 89% lower probability of receiving an opioid prescription compared with those who saw another type of medical provider. They were also less likely to have an MRI or CT scan or to seek out emergency care for their pain.

A desire to stay active and a natural aversion to pain send nearly 800,000 Americans to orthopedic surgeons each year for a hip or knee replacement. And we're seeking these operations much earlier in life. According to Dr. Scott Martin, associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School, this isn't a healthy trend. "A lot of joint replacements are being done because they can be," says Dr. Martin.

Every surgical procedure carries the risk of complications — or even death. Because the average joint that's replaced only lasts 10 to 15 years, having the procedure done at age 50 instead of 70 means there's a good chance you'll need a second procedure when you're older and at higher risk for complications.

Your hands perform countless small and large tasks each day—from pouring coffee, brushing teeth, and buttoning shirts to raking leaves or kneading bread.

But aching hands can transform the simplest task into a painful ordeal. Hands can hurt for a variety of reasons, from the mechanical to the neurological. Arthritis—which affects one in five American adults—and other persistent joint problems are by far the most common cause of hand pain and disability.

News briefs

Encouraging news for people who suffer with migraines: in May, the FDA approved erenumab (Aimovig), the first medication aimed at preventing these debilitating headaches. Current medications to treat migraines were actually designed to control other conditions, such as seizures or an irregular heartbeat; their side effects (like sexual dysfunction and fuzzy thinking) often cause people to skip treatment. Erenumab offers a new approach. Injected once a month, it works by blocking a molecule (calcitonin gene-related peptide) involved in migraine attacks, and compared with other drugs, it appears to have fewer side effects (primarily constipation and injection site reactions). "This drug is for people who have more than four migraines per month, but it won't take migraines away entirely," says Dr. Gad Marshall, a neurologist at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital. Clinical trials suggest it can reduce frequency by one or two migraines per month, or even more in some people. "For people with frequent debilitating migraines it could be a game changer," says Dr. Lee Schwamm, a neurologist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. "But erenumab is expensive, and it will take time to find out if it's effective and safe over the long term."

Constipation from pain medication – such as opioids – is a common problem

Prescription opioids provide pain relief, but constipation from pain medication is an all too common side effect.

As we age, pain and pain control become an important issue. Many of the conditions that cause pain disproportionately affect people starting at about age 65. In some surveys, half of respondents ages 60 and older have said that they suffer from chronic pain. About 70% of cancer deaths occur in people ages 65 and older, so cancer pain is frequently the older person's problem.

Constipation from pain medication – such as opioids – is a common problem

Prescription opioids provide pain relief, but constipation from pain medication is an all too common side effect.

As we age, pain and pain control become an important issue. Many of the conditions that cause pain disproportionately affect people starting at about age 65. In some surveys, half of respondents ages 60 and older have said that they suffer from chronic pain. About 70% of cancer deaths occur in people ages 65 and older, so cancer pain is frequently the older person's problem.

We all experience pain in our lives, but can the cure be worse than the condition? In this seminar, Harvard Medical School experts explore the science of pain, the realities of prescription drug dependence and new discoveries and treatments that may lead to better, safer pain management.

Each spring, Harvard Medical School's Office of Communications and External Relations organizes a series of four free "mini-med school" classes for the general public in the heart of Boston's Longwood Medical Area. At the end of the seminar series, participants who attend three out of the four sessions receive a certificate of completion. Topics are selected for their appeal to a lay audience and have included the human genome, nutrition, sleep dynamics and health care access. Faculty from Harvard Medical School and its affiliate hospitals volunteer their time to present these lectures to the community.