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Table 2 Initial treatments by condition and combination of therapeutic class (percentage of treated patients)

From: Primary care incidence and treatment of four neuropathic pain conditions: A descriptive study, 2002–2005

 

Post-herpetic neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia

Phantom limb pain

Painful diabetic neuropathy

 

N (%)

N (%)

N (%)

N (%)

Opioid analgesics alone

84 (5.9)

45 (3.9)

7 (17.5)

47 (5.1)

Opioid analgesics + Antidepressants (tricyclic)

41 (2.9)

12 (1.0)

2 (5.0)

21 (2.3)

Opioid analgesics + Antidepressants (other)

2 (0.1)

1 (0.1)

0

4 (0.4)

Opioid analgesics + Antiepileptics

13 (0.9)

22 (1.9)

0

8 (0.9)

Opioid analgesics + Non-opioid analgesics

168 (11.9)

94 (8.1)

5 (12.5)

97 (10.5)

Opioid analgesics + Rubefacients

6 (0.4)

1 (0.1)

0

2 (0.2)

Antidepressants (tricyclic) alone

445 (31.5)

225 (19.3)

8 (20.0)

281 (30.5)

Antidepressants (tricyclic) + Antidepressants (other)

2 (0.1)

1 (0.1)

0

5 (0.5)

Antidepressants (tricyclic) + Antiepileptics

7 (0.5)

12 (1.0)

0

14 (1.5)

Antidepressants (tricyclic) + Non-opioid analgesics

68 (4.8)

21 (1.8)

1 (2.5)

35 (3.8)

Antidepressants (tricyclic) + Rubefacients

17 (1.2)

2 (0.2)

0

2 (0.2)

Antidepressants (tricyclic) + Local anaesthetics

2 (0.1)

0

0

0

Antidepressants (other) alone

7 (0.5)

7 (0.6)

2 (5.0)

23 (2.5)

Antidepressants (other) + Antiepileptics

2 (0.1)

10 (0.9)

1 (2.5)

8 (0.9)

Antidepressants (other) + Non-opioid analgesics

4 (0.3)

1 (0.1)

1 (2.5)

5 (0.5)

Antidepressants (other) + Rubefacients

3 (0.2)

0

0

0

Antiepileptics alone

158 (11.2)

543 (46.7)

7 (17.5)

165 (17.9)

Antiepileptics + Non-opioid analgesics

15 (1.1)

13 (1.1)

3 (7.5)

5 (0.5)

Antiepileptics + Rubefacients

8 (0.6)

2 (0.2)

0

5 (0.5)

Antiepileptics + Local anaesthetics

2 (0.1)

1 (0.1)

0

0

Non-opioid analgesics alone

70 (5.0)

43 (3.7)

1 (2.5)

72 (7.8)

Non-opioid analgesics + Rubefacients

7 (0.5)

0

0

2 (0.2)

Rubefacients alone

78 (5.5)

12 (1.0)

0

37 (4.0)

Local anaesthetics alone

2 (0.1)

4 (0.3)

0

8 (0.9)

1 therapeutic category

844 (59.7)

879 (75.5)

25 (62.5)

633 (68.7)

2 therapeutic categories

367 (26.0)

193 (16.6)

13 (32.5)

213 (23.1)

3 or more therapeutic categories

203 (14.4)

92 (7.9)

2 (5.0)

76 (8.2)