July 2023

Peer Reviewed Feature Articles
Neuropathic pain

Trigeminal neuralgia: management in primary care

Arun Aggarwal

Trigeminal neuralgia is an uncommon yet potentially debilitating condition. Careful assessment is needed to differentiate it from conditions with overlapping symptoms. Pharmacotherapy, specifically anticonvulsants, is the first-line treatment, with surgery reserved for people who experience adverse or diminishing benefits from pharmacotherapy.

Pain medicine

Prescription opioids: management of long-term use

Yvonne Bonomo, Malcolm Hogg

Patients who have been taking prescription opioids long term for pain require assessment and management that includes education about the risks and individualised deprescribing when appropriate.

Peer Reviewed Regular Series
Perspectives

Managing procedural anxiety in children: reframe the pain

Catherine Olweny

Procedural anxiety is increasingly common in children and can predict the severity of postoperative pain. Reframing communication and implementing distraction aids can help reduce a child’s anxiety before procedural care.

Physician-authored summaries and commentary on the most important medical research, provided by the NEJM Group, a division of the Massachusetts Medical Society.

© Massachusetts Medical Society