Gender differences in response to drugs: pain medications.
Differences exist between men and women in both perception of and response to pain. Whereas gender-related differences in pharmacokinetics may have confounded earlier studies of pain responses, emerging scientific evidence suggests gender-related pharmacologic differences in central nervous system opioid mu-receptor binding and in responses to kappa-opioid pain medications. These differences suggest the importance of developing gender-specific strategies for pain relief and highlight the need for further investigation of gender-related pain treatment strategies.
Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL, USA. jbs157@nwu.edu
J B
JB
Schwartz
D000700:Analgesics / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017288:Pain Threshold; D012727:Sex Characteristics
D000700:Analgesics; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors