dextromethorphan and Acute-Pain

We conducted a meta-analysis of controlled trials that used experimental models of acute pain and hyperalgesia to examine the analgesic effects of NMDA receptor (NMDAR) antagonists.. Six major databases were systematically searched (to March 2018) for studies using human evoked pain models to compare NMDAR antagonists with no-intervention controls. Pain outcome data were analyzed with random-effects meta-analysis.. Findings provide robust evidence for analgesic and antihyperalgesic effects of ketamine, supporting its utility for acute and chronic pain management. However, pain relief was modest, suggesting ketamine may potentially be most useful when opioids are contraindicated, rapid analgesia is required, or for pain resistant to conventional medication.

Topics: Acute Pain; Dextromethorphan; Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; Humans; Hyperalgesia; Ketamine; Models, Theoretical; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate