title: New and emerging treatment options for neuropathic pain.
abstract: A large number of neuroanatomical, neurophysiologic, and neurochemical mechanisms are thought to contribute to the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain (NP). As a result, a corresponding wide range of treatments have been employed to treat patients with NP, including antiepileptic drugs, opioid analgesics, tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists, cholecystokinin receptor antagonists, adenosine, lipoic acid, cannabinoids, isosorbide dinitrate, dronabinol, capsaicin, protein kinase C inhibitors, aldose reductase inhibitors, and VR-1 receptor modulators. Many of these compounds are limited by marginal efficacy and clinically significant adverse events; few have been evaluated in well-controlled, large-scale clinical trials. At present, the only agents approved for the treatment of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy and postherpetic neuralgia are lidocaine patches 5%, duloxetine, gabapentin, and pregabalin. Of these, only pregabalin is indicated for both conditions.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy and Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin, 777 Highland Ave, Madison, WI 53705, USA. beg@pharmacy.wisc.edu
authors.forename: Barry E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Gidal
mesh_terms: D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D051474:Neuralgia, Postherpetic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014481:United States