title: Mexiletine for thalamic pain syndrome.
abstract: The thalamic pain syndrome, a rare sequelae of cerebrovascular event, is a severe and disabling form of central pain which treatment remains a major clinical problem. We present our results of a preliminary open label study using mexiletine, an orally active antiarrhythmic agent, in the management of thalamic pain in 9 patients. Using a dose of 10 mg/kg/day over a 4-week period, mexiletine produced improvement in pain in 8 of the 9 patients. Mexiletine was generally well tolerated with only two patients experiencing transient nausea and dizziness. Our findings suggest that mexiletine may be a safe and effective agent in the management of thalamic pain and possibly other paroxysmal pain syndromes of central origin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Bay Medical Center, Bay City, Michigan 48706.
authors.forename: G I
authors.initials: GI
authors.lastname: Awerbuch
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sandyk
mesh_terms: D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000503:physiopathology; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008801:Mexiletine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013577:Syndrome; D013788:Thalamus
chemical_list: D008801:Mexiletine