Chronic Pain Patients Experience Anxiety -- UH...REALLY?!?!

A recent study of 125 patients seeking treatment for chronic pain analyzed the role of anxiety on everyday functioning and found:

...individuals with high levels of anxiety due to chronic pain exhibit more emotional distress and disability.

Do we really need a study to tell us this?!?!
To read about this study click HERE.

Cymbalta Approved For Fibromyalgia Treatment

Cymbalta (Duloxetine) has just been approved to treat Fibromyalgia. Until now, there was only one medication, Lyrica (Pregabalin), approved to treat this illness.

In addition to the side effects of Cymbalta, Medpage Today warns:

Duloxetine should not be taken by patients who are using or have recently used a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, patients taking thioridazine (Mellaril) or patients with uncontrolled glaucoma. Severe and sometimes fatal liver problems have been reported among patients taking duloxetine. Duloxetine may increase the risk of hemorrhage among patients taking NSAIDs, aspirin, or other blood thinners.

Cymbalta is also approved for Major Depressive Disorder, the pain caused by Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy and Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Migraine and Fibromyalgia are often comorbid. Other illnesses comorbid with Migraine include but are not limited to Thyroid Disease, Temporomandibular Disorders, Depression, Anxiety, Epilepsy, Hypertension, and Stroke.

Migraine and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) linked?

A small study has shown that Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) may be more common in Migraine sufferers than in the general population. 32 of the participants had less than 15 Migraines per month and 28 had more than 15 per month. The study showed PTSD was more frequent in those experiencing more than 15 Migraine attacks per month and concluded that PTSD may be a risk factor for Migraine.
To read the article click HERE.

A study last year showed that almost one in every five US soldiers returning Iraq was being diagnosed with Migraine. Questionnaires completed by almost 2,200 US Army soldiers within the first 90 days of returning from a year of combat duty in Iraq were evaluated. 19% were found to suffer from Migraine, 32% tested positive for depression, 22% met the standard for PTSD, and 13% tested positive for anxiety. 50% of those who suffered with Migraines and 27% of those who did not were also clinically depressed. 39% of the Migraine sufferers and 18% of non-Migraine sufferers also had PTSD. 22% of those with Migraine and 10% of those without experienced anxiety disorders.

The study author Maj. Jay C. Erickson, M.D., a neurologist at Madigan Army Medical Center at Fort Lewis, in Tacoma, WA said that this information should serve as a wake-up call to both military and civilian doctors to evaluate for psychological troubles when a patient suffers with Migraine.
Click HERE to read this article.


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