Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0028738 (nystagmus)
 7,431 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Neuropathic pain, whether of peripheral or central origin, is characterized by a neuronal hyperexcitability in damaged areas of the nervous system. In peripheral neuropathic pain, damaged nerve endings exhibit abnormal spontaneous and increased evoked activity, partly due to an increased and novel expression of sodium channels. In central pain, although not explored in detail, the spontaneous pain and evoked allodynia are also best explained by a neuronal hyperexcitability. The peripheral hyperexcitability is due to a series of molecular changes at the level of the peripheral nociceptor, in dorsal root ganglia, in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, and in the brain. These changes include abnormal expression of sodium channels, increased activity at glutamate receptor sites, changes in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA-ergic) inhibition, and an alteration of calcium influx into cells. The neuronal hyperexcitability and corresponding molecular changes in neuropathic pain have many features in common with the cellular changes in certain forms of epilepsy. This has led to the use of anticonvulsant drugs for the treatment of neuropathic pain. Carbamazepine and phenytoin were the first anticonvulsants to be used in controlled clinical trials. Studies have shown these agents to relieve painful diabetic neuropathy and paroxysmal attacks in trigeminal neuralgia. Subsequent studies have shown the anticonvulsant gabapentin to be effective in painful diabetic neuropathy, mixed neuropathies, and postherpetic neuralgia. Lamotrigine, a new anticonvulsant, is effective in trigeminal neuralgia, painful peripheral neuropathy, and post-stroke pain. Other anticonvulsants, both new and old, are currently undergoing controlled clinical testing. The most common adverse effects of anticonvulsants are sedation and cerebellar symptoms (nystagmus, tremor and incoordination). Less common side-effects include haematological changes and cardiac arrhythmia with phenytoin and carbamazepine. The introduction of a mechanism-based classification of neuropathic pain, together with new anticonvulsants with a more specific pharmacological action, may lead to more rational treatment for the individual patient with neuropathic pain.
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PMID:Anticonvulsants in neuropathic pain: rationale and clinical evidence. 1188 43

Hot flashes occur frequently in menopausal women and in women with breast cancer, diminishing their quality of life. A report from the Women's Health Initiative published in 2002 raised concerns about the long-term safety of estrogen therapy. As a result, nonhormonal alternatives have emerged as preferred treatments. Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant that the United States Food and Drug Administration approved as an adjunct therapy for partial seizures and postherpetic neuralgia. Somnolence, dizziness, ataxia, fatigue, nystagmus, and peripheral edema are adverse effects commonly associated with gabapentin in the treatment of epilepsy and postherpetic neuralgia. The North American Menopause Society and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend the use of gabapentin as an option for managing hot flashes in women who are unwilling to take estrogen-containing supplements. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of gabapentin for the treatment of hot flashes in women with menopause and/or breast cancer, we performed a search of the MEDLINE database (1966-March 2008) and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, as well as manually searching reference articles for relevant articles and abstracts; 10 clinical studies were identified. Although the studies were few, all showed gabapentin to be safe and effective in the treatment of hot flashes. At doses used to control hot flashes, gabapentin was well tolerated, with drowsiness as its most reported adverse effect. Gabapentin can be considered effective in the treatment of hot flashes and should be considered a reasonable alternative when estrogen therapy is not desired.
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PMID:Use of gabapentin in patients experiencing hot flashes. 1911 98