[Effectiveness and safety of oxcarbazepine in chronic neuropathic pain: a study of 40 cases].
BACKGROUND
Neuropathic pain (NP) often fails to respond to the commonly established analgesic treatment. This fact, together with the existence of side effects, has led to the need to evaluate the analgesic effectiveness of antiepileptic drugs, which, as in the case of oxcarbazepine (OXC), are a valid alternative.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of OXC in patients suffering from chronic NP.


METHODS
We conducted a prospective, open study involving a series of 40 patients diagnosed with a long history of NP, which was previously resistant to different kinds of treatment with anticonvulsants, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAI) drugs, opiates and adjuncts. Patients were treated with OXC and they were evaluated in both the basal (prior to treatment) and final visits (after treatment) by means of the visual analogue scale (VAS), SF-McGill questionnaire and the Lattinen test. The patient's general impression of the result was also obtained. The statistical analysis was performed by calculating the "effect size", by computing Cohen's d.


RESULTS
Treatment with OXC diminishes different symptomatic variations of this pain, but especially so in the case of lancinating discharges (d = 0.87, important effect) and burning pain (d = 0.60, moderate-important effect), although the allodynia (d = 0.48, moderate effect) also improved with treatment. In the opinion of the patients themselves, response to treatment was good or very good in 50% of cases. The chief side effects observed were dizziness, drowsiness and abdominal upsets.


CONCLUSIONS
OXC can be seen as a therapeutic alternative to be taken very much into account in patients with NP having different aetiologies; it has a good benefit-risk ratio and is a form of treatment that is well accepted by patients.
Unidad Terapéutica del Dolor, Hospital Universitario La Fe, Avda. Campanar 21, E-46009 Valencia, Spain. pedrofeno@hotmail.com
P
P
Fenollosa-Vázquez
M A
MA
Canós-Verdecho
C
C
Núñez-Cornejo
J
J
Pallarés-Delgado
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic; C476610:oxcarbamazepine; D002220:Carbamazepine