Cough Drug May Help Parkinson's and other diseases

[Guest guest]

Hi,

It seems there may be something about dextromethorphan and its

observed neuroprotective effect on Parkinson's disease and other

neurodegenerative diseases (in lab tests). It may have molecular

properties similar to naltrexone? Also, naloxone is included in the

report below. It is believed that these drugs are anti-inflamatory and

protect brain cells from degeneration. See attachment (it's just one).

>

>http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleU

RL & _udi=B6T1K-4909FCW-1 & _coverDate=08%2F31%2F2003 &

_alid=282996266 & _rdoc=1 & _fmt= & _orig=search & _qd=1 & _

cdi=4893 & _sort=d & view=c & _acct=C000057242 & _version=

1 & _urlVersion=0 & _userid=2425064 & md5=4210421a9755cb66d451db6d185aa8dc

> Thanks for this ine as my 18 year old daughter has Fibromyalgia.

She was diagnosed after a bout with Epstein-Barr and Chronic Fatigue

when she was 16 years old.

>

> Ellen

> [MSers_Online] Cough Drug May Help Fibromyalgia Pain

>

>

> Cough Drug May Help Fibromyalgia Pain

>

> Findings Could Affect Other Chronic Pain Conditions

>

> By Salynn Boyles

> WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD

> on Monday, May 23, 2005

>

>

> May 23, 2005 -- An ingredient found in over-the-counter cough

medicines may help ease the pain of fibromyalgia, according to new

research from the University of Florida.

>

> Fibromyalgia patients who took dextromethorphan experienced

temporary reductions in the intensity of pain associated with minor

repetitive physical contact -- a common characteristic of the poorly

understood disease.

>

> Researchers say the findings may have broader implications for the

treatment of a host of chronic pain conditions. But they added that

patients should definitely not self-medicate with over-the-counter

drugs containing dextromethorphan.

>

> " We are not telling people to try cough medicine to relieve their

fibromyalgia pain, " researcher Roland Staud, MD, tells WebMD.

>

> Staud characterized the pain-relieving impact of the drug as

" moderate. " But he added that dextromethorphan or similarly acting

medications may prove to be important additions to current treatments

for fibromyalgia and other conditions involving heightened pain

sensitivity.

>

> Constant, Chronic Pain

>

> It is estimated that as many as 10 million Americans have

fibromyalgia -- a baffling disease that strikes mostly women and is

characterized by pervasive pain, stiffness, fatigue, and muscle

tenderness.

>

> While the cause of fibromyalgia remains unknown, it is now thought

that a mechanism known as central sensitization plays a major role in

the disease. The theory is that the brain and spinal cord magnify pain

signals to abnormally high levels.

>

> Fibromyalgia patients often experience pain to stimuli that are

not normally perceived as painful, such as a pat on the back. The pain

can get worse with repeated contact.

>

> Dextromethorphan has been shown to block the action of chemicals

that relay pain to the spinal cord. It works by blocking a receptor

known as N-methyl-D-aspartate or NMDA, which responds to these

pain-transmitting chemicals. For this reason, Staud and colleagues

evaluated the drug for pain control in fibromyalgia.

>

> They found that people with fibromyalgia treated with

dextromethorphan experienced moderate improvement in pain associated

with repeated physical contact compared with those who got placebo

treatments.

>

> Better Drugs Needed

>

> Staud tells WebMD that pharmaceutical researchers are working to

develop more effective drugs that target the NMDA receptor with fewer

side effects than the medications that are now available.

>

> He estimates that these drugs could be commercially available

within three to five years and could eventually be major players in

pain control.

>

> NMDA-receptor blockers like dextromethorphan have already been

shown to improve pain control when given with morphine and other

widely used opium-based medications. The hope is that combining the

two drugs will allow a lower dose of the opioids to be used to control

pain.

>

> Fibromyalgia expert ce Bradley, PhD, agrees that more

research is needed before doctors or their patients turn to

dextromethorphan for

> pain control.

>

> " It would be a disservice to start to recommend that either

patients or physicians begin experimenting right away with

dextromethorphan, because I think there are some important questions

about how to minimize the side effects [of the drug], " he says.

>

>

>

> " Focus on what you do have and are able to do -- not on what you

don't have or can't do. "

>

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> Peggy

> List Mom

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