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| Research article summary (published 30 Dec 2002): |
Driving ability under long-term treatment with transdermal fentanyl.
Full Abstract
Clinical experience shows that neuropsychological side effects due to opioid therapy usually decrease during the first weeks of therapy. However, the effect of long-term treatment with transdermal fentanyl on complex activities, such as driving, is not yet clear. In a prospective trial, patients with continuous noncancer pain, who had received stable doses of transdermal fentanyl for at least 2 weeks, completed a series of computerized tests to measure attention, reaction, visual orientation, motor coordination and vigilance. Data from 90 healthy volunteers were matched to 30 patients; 9 patients were excluded from the per-protocol analysis because they took additional drugs in violation of the protocol. None of the performance measures for the 21 remaining fentanyl patients was significantly inferior to the controls. We conclude that stable doses of transdermal fentanyl for the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain are not associated with significant impairments in psychomotor and cognitive performance. The threshold for fitness to drive as defined by German law did not differ significantly between the groups.
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Author information
Author/s: Sabatowski, Rainer (R); Schwalen, Susanne (S); Rettig, Klaus (K); Herberg, Klaus W (KW); Kasper, Stephan M (SM); Radbruch, Lukas (L);
Affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Journal and publication information
Publication Type: Clinical Trial; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Journal: Journal of pain and symptom management (J Pain Symptom Manage), published in United States. (Language: eng)
Reference: 2003-Jan; vol 25 (issue 1) : pp 38-47
Dates: Created 2003/02/04; Completed 2003/02/26; Revised 2006/11/15;
PMID: 12565187, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)
Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.
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