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Table 2 First-line treatment by pain condition (2006–2010)

From: An observational descriptive study of the epidemiology and treatment of neuropathic pain in a UK general population

 

Post-herpetic neuralgia

Painful diabetic neuropathy

Phantom limb pain

Neuropathic back pain

Total a (% of cohort)

4,725 (79.8)

4,317 (80.1)

153 (82.7)

78,693 (86.5)

Number with a treatment (% total in analysis)

3,831 (81.1)

3,513 (81.4)

90 (58.8)

78,417 (99.6)

Duration of treatment (days), mean (±SD) b

48 (115)

121 (229)

63 (86)

89 (229)

Items prescribed on initial prescription as% of those treated

1 item

65.0

82.4

73.3

63.0

2 items

28.7

15.1

20.0

28.6

3 or more items

6.4

2.5

6.7

8.4

Five most common medications included in first-line treatment regimens, n (% treated)

1

amitriptyline

amitriptyline

gabapentin

tramadol

1509 (39.4)

1362 (38.8)

22 (24.4)

26,778 (34.1)

2

co-codamol

gabapentin

amitriptyline

amitriptyline

754 (19.7)

539 (15.3)

19 (21.1)

17,093 (21.8)

3

capsaicin

co-codamol

paracetamol

co-codamol

328 (8.6)

332 (9.5)

12 (13.3)

16,198 (20.7)

4

gabapentin

pregabalin

pregabalin

paracetamol

327 (8.5)

315 (9.0)

12 (13.3)

6750 (8.6)

5

co-dydramol

paracetamol

tramadol

co-dydramol

 

293 (7.6)

264 (7.5)

7 (7.8)

5320 (6.8)

  1. awith incident disease plus 18 months record. bignoring titration of dose. SD, standard deviations.