Neurológia pre prax 2/2016

Treatment of neuropathic pain

Neuropathic pain is one of the most difficult-to-treat pain conditions. Numerous common analgesics are not effective in treating it. Drugs from the groups of anticonvulsants, antidepressants, opioids with an increased affinity to neuropathic pain, and, recently, new topical dosage forms have been at the forefront of treatment. The occurrence of neuropathic pain increases exponentially with patient age; at the same time, however, tolerance of patients to antineuropathic treatment decreases. A major benefit in treating neuropathic pain has been the development of uniform EFNS guidelines based on which national guidelines are subsequently developed. The most common forms of neuropathic pain include polyneuropathy, trigeminal neuralgia, postherpetic neuralgia or central neurogenic pain.

Keywords: neuropathic pain, anticonvulsants, opioids, capsaicin, guidelines.