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Query: UMLS:C0917801 (insomnia)
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Moderate drinking for the elderly of both genders is no more than one drink per day, where a drink is defined as 12 oz of beer, 5 oz of wine, or 1.5 oz of spirits. Age does not affect the rate of absorption or elimination of alcohol. Lean body mass decreases and adipose tissue increases with age, however, resulting in a corresponding decrease in the volume of total body water. With a smaller volume of distribution, an alcohol dose identical to that administered to a younger individual of the same size and gender will produce a higher blood alcohol concentration in the elderly. Low-dose alcohol stimulates appetite and promoters regular bowel function. In the well-nourished nonalcoholic elderly, the negative impact of alcohol consumption on nutrition is minimal. Alcohol consumption improves mood by increasing feelings of happiness and freedom from care while lessening inhibitions, stress, tension, and depression. Although in the laboratory low-dose alcohol improves certain types of cognitive function in young men, in other types of task performance, alcohol induces impairment, which worsens with age. The effects of alcohol on sleep are primarily detrimental, worsening both insomnia and breathing disturbances during sleep. Although the role of alcohol consumption in mortality from heart disease has not been investigated in the elderly, moderate drinking appears safe. Under some circumstances low-dose alcohol may produce analgesia whereas in others it may worsen pain. The elderly use a significant proportion of both prescription and over-the-counter medication, a large variety of which interact with alcohol. Alcoholic beverage consumption may exacerbate cognitive impairment and dementias of other etiology. Although some studies suggest that moderate use of alcohol by institutionalized senior citizens appears to produce benefits including improved socialization, separation of the effects of the social situation from those specifically attributable to alcohol remains to be accomplished. Older individuals who want to drink, have no medical contraindications, and take no drugs (prescription or over-the-counter) that interact with alcohol, may consider one drink a day to be a prudent level of alcohol consumption. Patients should be counseled to avoid alcohol consumption immediately prior to going to bed in order to avoid sleep disturbances. They also should be cautioned against potential drug-alcohol interactions and told to avoid alcohol ingestion prior to activities such as driving. The decision to recommend a particular level of alcohol consumption in any given patient must, however, be carefully tailored not only to that individual's specific medical needs but to his or her social and environmental circumstances as well.
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PMID:Alcohol and the elderly. 157 71

A scheduled regimen of oral narcotic analgesics was compared with a regimen of oral narcotic analgesics plus ibuprofen for analgesic efficacy in patients with cancer. Ten patients with metastatic cancer were randomly assigned to receive either ibuprofen 400 mg or a look-alike placebo four times daily in addition to each patient's existing regimen of scheduled oral narcotics. A two-period changeover study design was used. The 24-hour narcotic intake equated to injectable morphine was computed for each patient at baseline and during the nine study days. A visual analogue scale was used to evaluate pain relief, nausea, mood depression, daytime drowsiness and nighttime sleeplessness. The analgesic efficacy of the narcotic-ibuprofen combination was significantly greater than the analgesic efficacy of the narcotic-placebo combination. Eight patients demonstrated a positive treatment effect with added ibuprofen; the overall improvement in analgesia averaged 39.1% in these patients. There was no significant increase from baseline in the incidence of nausea, mood depression, daytime drowsiness or nighttime sleeplessness. At the doses used in this study, a treatment regimen of oral narcotic analgesics plus ibuprofen was more effective than oral narcotics alone in relieving pain associated with cancer.
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PMID:Analgesia with oral narcotics and added ibuprofen in cancer patients. 397 83

More than 60% of cancer patients suffers from unbearable pain, especially towards their terminal stages. Anaesthesiologists are involved in cancer pain management because of their expertise in analgesic pharmacology and neurolytic procedures. This manuscript reported on the experience of treating cancer pain in Chinese patient in Hong Kong with reference to current literature in other parts of the world. One hundred and sixty two Chinese patients were referred from other specialists to the Department of Anaesthesiology, Queen Mary Hospital for further management because of their cancer pain control were considered difficult. Upon referral, the mean visual analogue scale of pain (VAS) was 5.8 +/- 2.7. The pain caused insomnia (66.7%) and appetite loss (45%) as well. By far most (80%) patients' pain were successively controlled with oral systemic analgesics. These were prescribed in form of a combination of NSAID (72.2%), potent opioids (76.5%) and co-analgesics (21.6%). In our series, the mean oral morphine (MS Continus) requirements was 96.0 +/- 68.3 mg on discharge. Frequent nausea and constipation persisted in 16.0% and 8.0% respectively despite active treatment with anti-emetics and laxatives. Twenty eight neurolytic blocks was performed in 22 (13.6%) patients. Good pain relief was achieved in 78.6%. Overall speaking most patients (90.7%) were able to achieve adequate analgesia before death.
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PMID:Cancer pain management: a recent experience by anaesthesiologists in a teaching hospital in Hong Kong. 792 65

About 25% of U.S. women over age 50 will suffer one or more vertebral compression fractures related to osteoporosis. Vertebral fractures may be biconcave, anterior wedge, or crush deformities. A fracture is most often precipitated by putting a load on outstretched arms (eg, while raising a window). Back pain is usually incapacitating for a few weeks, then diminishes in severity but remains intense for 2 to 3 months. Acute complications include transient ileus, urinary retention, or (rarely) cord compression. Long-term effects include kyphosis, deconditioning, insomnia, and depression. Initial treatment includes bed rest, pain management with local and systemic analgesia, bracing to improve comfort, and patient reassurance. Long-term management includes spinal stretching exercises, walking, and treatment of underlying osteoporosis with calcitonin or estrogen in selected patients.
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PMID:Vertebral compression fractures: how to manage pain, avoid disability. 802 Jul 59

Acupuncture is a simple and useful treatment for insomnia, with a success rate of around 90%. The acupuncture points applied vary depending on the doctor and on the case, but the usual points are Shenmen (HT7) and Anmien (extrapoint). The mechanism of this treatment has not been well elucidated. Acupuncture analgesia may be used as a great indicator, because in both practices needles are inserted in deep tissues as the common stimulation. The possible neuronal integration and transmitter effect in the acupuncture treatment for insomnia are discussed.
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PMID:Acupuncture treatment for insomnia and acupuncture analgesia. 872 27

Analgesia with nonsteroid antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID) becomes a pressing problem today. One such drug is ketorolak tromethamine (KT), characterized by expressed analgesic activity comparable with that of opioid analgesics morphine or promedol. Our purpose was to assess KT efficacy in analgesia performed by different methods, including analgesia controlled by the patient (ACP) after surgery. In medium severe and strong pain KT was used in group I (n = 60) "as needed" in a dose of 30 mg up to 3-4 times a day, in group 2 (n = 12) by the ACP method, in group 3 (n = 16) KT was incessantly infused in a daily dose of up to 120 mg, and in group 4 (n = 11) KT was injected 3-4 times a day in a dose of 30 mg in combination with morphine ACP. The results indicate a high efficacy of KT: 83% after a single injection. Combined use of KT and promedol decreased the dose by 40-50%. Side effects were observed in 15% of patients: most often it was a sense of fever and sweating (in 4% of patients), nausea and vomiting (in 2%), insomnia (in 2%). ACP and planned injections in a daily dose of 90-120 mg is the optimal method of analgesia in patients after extensive surgical interventions.
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PMID:[Methods of the use of ketorolac tromethamine in patients during the early postoperative period]. 943 4

Recent reports commissioned by the Australian Government have highlighted the need to improve medication use in both community and hospital settings. Nurses are placed ideally to promote safe and effective drug use. The aim of this project was to develop and evaluate a computer-assisted instruction package, to help undergraduate nursing students improve their knowledge of clinical pharmacology, and to enhance their ability to contribute to the quality use of medications. In a collaborative project, staff of the Tasmanian Schools of Pharmacy and Nursing have produced the program PharmaCAL, using HyperCard 2.2 for the Apple Macintosh. A wide range of clinical pharmacology units are covered extensively, concentrating on drugs in common use and based on body systems: cardiovascular pharmacology (including hypertension, cardiac failure and angina); respiratory pharmacology; alimentary tract pharmacology (including peptic ulcer, diarrhea, and constipation); central nervous system pharmacology (analgesia, anxiety and insomnia, depression, psychoses, and epilepsy); antibiotic chemotherapy; and diabetes mellitus. Many color illustrations have been included. Each unit has a set of multiple choice questions to provide feedback to students. The package was evaluated in two ways. First, a questionnaire was used to assess users' opinions of the package. Second, a validated multiple choice test on clinical pharmacology and therapeutics was administered to 24 third-year nursing students before and after a set of sessions using the package and to a control group of 28 nursing students who were not exposed to the PharmaCAL package. The package generally was well received by the nursing students. Clinical pharmacology test scores significantly improved after using the package and were significantly higher than for the control group of students. The program is a useful adjunct to the existing nursing curriculum. It also could be used in postgraduate nursing education and other health sciences.
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PMID:Development and evaluation of a computer-assisted instruction package in clinical pharmacology for nursing students. 945 93

Postoperative delirium occurs frequently following major surgery, especially after hepatectomy. We hypothesized that better methods of postoperative pain control would decrease postoperative delirium. To clarify the magnitude of postoperative pain and incidence of postoperative delirium in hepatectomy patients, subjects received patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) using bupivacaine and fentanyl (Group P), or continuous epidural mepivacaine (Group E) following intraoperative epidural administration of morphine. The magnitude of postoperative pain was estimated by use of an analgesic adjuvant and delirium was classified as mild (insomnia, disturbance of sleepwake cycle), moderate (disorientation, hallucination), or severe (restlessness, confusion, agitation), based on the medical records. Analgesic adjuvant usage was less in Group P than in Group E, while the incidences of moderate and severe delirium were significantly less frequent in Group P than in Group E (35.7% versus 75.0%, and 14.3% versus 50.0% respectively). Moreover, less amount of antipsychotic drugs was given in Group P than in Group E. These results suggest that the better pain relief and patient satisfaction provided by PCEA contributed to a decrease in the incidence of delirium, because of continuous opioid administration and patient-control analgesia. We concluded that PCEA with bupivacaine and fentanyl can limit postoperative delirium following hepatectomy.
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PMID:[Patient-controlled epidural analgesia with bupivacaine and fentanyl suppresses postoperative delirium following hepatectomy]. 1151 63

Headache is the most common symptom after closed head injury, persisting for more than 2 months in 60% of patients. Rarely does headache occur in isolation. Cervical pain is a frequent accompaniment. Post-traumatic headache is often one of several symptoms of the postconcussive syndrome, and therefore may be accompanied by additional cognitive, behavioral, and somatic problems. Acute post-traumatic headaches may begin at the time of injury and continue for up to 2 months post-injury. Although onset proximate to the time of injury is most common, any new headache type occurring within this period of time is referred to as an acute post-traumatic headache. If such headaches persist beyond the first two months post-injury, they are subsequently referred to as chronic post-traumatic headaches. Over time, post-traumatic headaches may take on a pattern of daily occurrence. If aggressive treatment is initiated early, posttraumatic headache is less likely to become a permanent problem. Once "windup" of post-traumatic headaches occurs, the cycle of ongoing headaches is more difficult to interrupt. The mechanism of post-traumatic headache is poorly understood. Trauma-induced headaches are usually heterogeneous in nature, often including both tension-type pain and intermittent migraine-like attacks. Rebound-headaches may develop from overuse of analgesic medications, and the occurrence of such may complicate significantly the diagnosis of post-traumatic headache. Adequate treatment typically requires both "peripheral" and "central" measures. Understanding the general principles of treatment, especially appropriate use of preventive and abortive medications, will most usefully guide treatment. There is scant literature with which to direct treatment selection for post-traumatic headache. Consequently, treatments for post-traumatic headache are based on those prescribed for phenomenologically similar but etiologically distinct headache disorders. Delayed recovery from post-traumatic headache may be a result of inadequately aggressive or ineffective treatment, overuse of analgesic medications resulting in analgesia rebound phenomena, or comorbid psychiatric disorders (eg, post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia, substance abuse, depression, or anxiety).
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PMID:Post-traumatic Headache. 1173 6

Synthesised by Justin Liebig in 1832 chloral hydrate is one of the oldest synthetic agents. Since 1869 it has been in use for hypnotic or sedative purposes. Chloral hydrate was used a lot from the end of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century. Since then chloral hydrate has been less frequently in use as a hypnotic. In the 1990's, the principal use of chloral hydrate in pediatrics was the sedation of children for minor surgery during dental or diagnostic procedures. In general practice, it is an analgesia found in topical preparations. It was known as safe and easy to use. Now it is shown to be potentially dangerous (risk of death in case of intoxication) and there is doubt about genotoxicity and carcinogenecity. The pharmacological property was known in 1948 when Butler discovered the principal active metabolite, trichloroethanol. The gastro-intestinal tract rapidly absorbs chloral hydrate after oral or rectal use. The sedative and hypnotic effects appear in 20 to 60 minutes. The main metabolites [trichloroethanol (TCE) and trichloroacetic acid (TCA)] are formed by hepatocytes and erythrocytes. The half-life of chloral hydrate is short (a few minutes), the half lives of the metabolics are longer, 8 to 12 hours for TCE and 67 hours for TCA. The affinity for lipids is high. It is eliminated principally by the kidneys. Its mechanism of action is unknown. It is a depressor of the SNC, and the sedation is attributed to chloral hydrate and the hypnotic effect to TCE. The interactions appear with: alcohol, anticoagulants, amitriptyline and furosemide. The use of flumazenil (a gaba antagonist), in case of intoxication, indicates a possible action of GABA. The posology is usually between 0.5 to 2 g per day. Chloral hydrate is taken during meals to prevent gastric irritation. The main side effects are digestive, cardiologic (risk of rhythm disorder), dermatologic, neuropsychiatric (withdrawn, delusions, hallucination, dependence) and ophthalmologic. Death occurs after absorption of doses of around 10 g of hydrate chloral, some cases were reported with 5 g. The use of hydrate chloral is contra-indicated in cases of gastric ulcers, hepatic insufficiency, porphyry, respiratory insufficiency, association with anticoagulants and hyper sensibility. Nowadays should we be using chloral hydrate in cases of insomnia in adult and older people? A recent preclinical working group of the French Agency for evaluation of medicinal products reassessed the benefit/risk ratio of chloral hydrate. Many references are found about genotoxicity and carcinogenicity in recent literature. In France, since the end of 2000, chloral hydrate has been withdrawn from many medications for external use in dermatology and in stomatology. Chloral hydrate can be used as a pediatric sedative only once in a lifetime. The psychiatric indication for insomnia is no longer justified and especially in older people.
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PMID:[Chloral hydrate: a hypnotic best forgotten?]. 1209 79


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