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Biomedical subjects

R P Evens

Publications and source records attributed to R P Evens.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Dose effectiveness and safety of butorphanol in acute migraine headache.

This study was undertaken to compare the effectiveness and safety of three dosage levels of butorphanol in 52 patients with acute, severe migraine headache. After baseline evaluation, patients were given a dose of butorphanol 1.0, 2.0, or 3.0 mg intramuscularly on a double-blind basis. Assessments of pain intensity and pain relief using 100 mm linear analog scales (LAS), vital signs, and medication side effects were made at 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes after the dose. All three treatment groups were similar in baseline characteristics. Each dose of butorphanol demonstrated a significant decrease in pain intensity LAS compared to baseline and increase in pain relief LAS over the observation period. The majority of analgesic response was observed at the first (i.e., 15-min) assessment. Doses of 2.0 and 3.0 mg produced significantly greater analgesia than did 1.0 mg at all posttreatment evaluations. No significant difference was apparent between the 2.0- and 3.0-mg doses. Adverse cardiovascular and respiratory depressant effects were not observed. An analgesic response to butorphanol 2.0 and 3.0 mg is clearly and rapidly evident and near maximum 30-45 minutes after administration. We conclude that in these doses butorphanol provides effective and safe analgesia for patients with acute migraine headache.

Acute Disease

Comparison of intramuscular analgesic activity of butorphanol and morphine in patients with sickle cell disease.

This double-blind study compared the analgesic effects of morphine with those of butorphanol in patients who presented with pain because of sickle cell crisis. Patients were placed at bed rest, administered IV hydration, and randomly assigned on each visit to receive either 2 mg IM butorphanol or 6 mg IM morphine every 30 to 60 minutes as needed to produce a pain intensity of 50 mm or less on the linear analog pain scale until the patient was discharged. Linear analog scale for pain and pain relief, level of alertness, and vital signs were assessed at 60 and 120 minutes after each study drug dose, before additional doses, and at discharge. Eighteen patients (12 men, six women; mean age, 29.3 +/- 7.7 years) were studied. Six received only morphine, six received only butorphanol, and six received each treatment at some time during the study period, resulting in 45 randomizations to treatment. The two therapies did not differ significantly (P greater than .40) with respect to pain or relief of pain scores, level of alertness, or vital signs. The discharge rate was 69.6% and 68.2% with morphine and butorphanol, respectively (P = .92). The incidence of adverse effects was 13% and 23% with morphine and butorphanol, respectively (P = .46). We conclude that morphine and butorphanol are equally effective in the treatment of sickle cell crisis pain.

Adolescent

Outpatient sedation for oral surgery: a comparison of butorphanol and fentanyl.

Third molar surgery in the oral and maxillofacial surgery office has been a predictable model for evaluating the efficacy of sedatives and analgesics. In this setting, butorphanol plus diazepam and fentanyl plus diazepam were compared for surgical effectiveness and postoperative recovery. The comparison of butorphanol to a known sedative combination was clinically very satisfactory. It appears from this data that butorphanol has a pharmacologic place in outpatient conscious sedation.

Adult

Influence of concomitant aspirin or prednisone on methotrexate synovial fluid concentration.

Methotrexate (MTX) is currently being used in the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of two classes of drugs, steroids and salicylates, on MTX synovial fluid concentrations. A novel canine model of monoarticular inflammation was used, in which each animal served as its own control with both inflamed and normal knees in the same animal. After the 6-week immunization process, animals in each group received either no drug (control), prednisone or aspirin (low dose and high dose) for 1 week before MTX. On the day of the study, each animal was given i.v. MTX, and serial serum and synovial fluid samples were obtained. Laboratory, histologic and clinical observations supported the presence of monoarticular inflammation. The end-of-infusion synovial MTX concentration in inflamed knees was significantly greater than in normal knees (P less than .05), but, 2 hr after the end of infusion, they were not different. The end-of-infusion ratio of synovial fluid MTX concentration to serum MTX concentration (both total and unbound) was significantly lower in the prednisone group than in the other treatment groups (P less than .05). The end-of-infusion ratio of the MTX synovial concentration in the inflamed knee compared with the normal knee at 2 hr was significantly lower in the prednisone group than in the other three treatment groups (P less than .05). These results have therapeutic implications for the use of MTX in treating rheumatoid arthritis.

Animals

Drug therapy reviews: antirheumatic agents.

The pathophysiology, symptoms and drug treatment of rheumatic disease are reviewed. Antirheumatic drugs reviewed are salicylates (including aspirin, sodium salicylate, choline salicylate, choline magnesium salicylate, salsalate), phenylpropionic acid derivatives (fenoprofen, ibuprofen, naproxen), indole derivatives (sulindac, tolmetin and indomethacin), pyrazolone derivatives (phenylbutazone, oxyphenbutazone), gold compounds, penicillamine, antimalarials mefenamic acid, corticosteroids and immunosuppressives. Simple analgesic therapy (acetaminophen, aspirin, propoxyphene) is used in the early stage of the disease. As the disease progresses, aspirin remains the drug of choice for antiinflammatory activity but the phenylpropionic acid or indole derivatives may be preferred in patients unable to tolerate salicylates. If such nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents are not effective, parenteral therapy with gold compounds or oral penicillamine usually is indicated. Indomethacin or phenylbutazone, then antimalarials, are resorted to next. Corticosteroids or immunosuppressives are reserved for patients who are unsuccessfully controlled or who have major side effects with the other drugs. Mefenamic acid occupies a very secondary place in rheumatoid arthritis treatment.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents

Compendium of drug abuse jargon.

Drug abuse slang is an originative and a protean language,which poses the problem of identification and definition of terms. This compilation of nomenclature provides an extensive list to serve as a resource for the busy family physician, who frequently deals with drug abuse problems.

Humans

Alcohol in pharmaceutical products.

Alcohol is the diluent in more than 500 proprietary products and is found in concentrations up to 68 percent. This factor can pose significant problems in patient management; for example, problems can arise in the alcoholic patient under disulfiram therapy, in the patient with active peptic ulcer disease and in the patient under treatment with central nervous system depressants or other substances that interact with alcohol. The alcohol content raises difficulties with abstinence programs and adolescent alcohol abuse. A list of pharmaceutical products containing alcohol is included.

Adolescent