Endocrine and behavioural effects of transdermal buprenorphine in pain-suffering women of different reproductive ages

Endocrine Journal

Caterina Aurilio²  Fabio Bravi⁴  Maria Caterina Pace²  Anna Maria Aloisi³  Maria Beatrice Passavanti²  Cosimo Massafra³  Manlio Barbarisi¹  Ilaria Ceccarelli³  Vincenzo Pota²  Pasquale Sansone² 

[1] Second University of Naples, Department of Neurosurgery, Naples, Italy;Second University of Naples, Department of Anaesthesiological, Surgical and Emergency Sciences, Naples, Italy;University of Siena, Department of Physiology, Neuroscience and Applied Physiology Section, Siena, Italy;IBIS Informatica srl., Department of Biometrics, Milano, Italy

关键词: Pain;    Transdermal buprenorphine patch;    Gonadal hormones;    Cortisol;    Age;   

DOI  :  10.1507/endocrj.EJ11-0095

学科分类：内分泌与代谢学

来源: Japan Endocrine Society

【 摘 要 】

References(23)Cited-By(7)Chronic pain is a common problem in clinical practice and women are affected more often than men.Morphine is often used for long-term pain relief, but it induces side effects including endocrine alterations.The aim of the present study was to assess the behavioural and hormonal effects of transdermal buprenorphine in women suffering from persistent non-malignant pain.Hormones (LH, FSH, total and free testosterone, estradiol, cortisol) and pain measures (visual analogue scale, McGill Pain questionnaire, present pain intensity test) were evaluated at baseline and after 1, 3 and 6 months.Subjects were recruited in the Second University of Naples Pain Research Centre.Eighteen chronic pain women were included in the study, divided into pre- and post-menopausal groups.A transdermal buprenorphine patch (Buprenorphine TDS, 35 μg/h) was administered every 72 h.As expected, buprenorphine administration led to a decrease in pain intensity and no side effects suggestive of hypogonadism were recorded.Pain measures decreased at the first control visit (T1) in both groups.Total and free testosterone were not reduced by treatment (they tended to increase in both groups) while cortisol progressively recovered from the quite low levels detected at the beginning of treatment.These data confirm that buprenorphine is a safe and effective drug for pain relief in women.It is free from the adverse effects on gonadal hormones frequently associated with other opioid treatments.The lack of opioid-induced effects on gonadal hormones (i.e. hypogonadism) is important to guarantee safe long-term pain treatment.

【 授权许可】

Unknown