Health Notes

Fibromyalgia

What. A cough medicine ingredient may help keep pain in check.

Question. Besides feeling fatigue and having chronic muscle aches, people with fibromyalgia often are extra-sensitive to touch. For them, even minor contact, if repetitive, can mushroom into serious pain. Might a common cough suppressant, proven effective in blocking pain impulses in the spinal cord, help ward off this so-called wind-up pain?

The study. It compared pain sensitivity in 14 women with fibromyalgia, before and after they took dextromethorphan, an ingredient in many over-the-counter cough medicines, or a placebo. When heat or pressure was applied to their hands in repeated taps, which normally would induce wind-up pain, the women reported less pain after they had taken the drug. Higher doses were needed to reduce the pain induced by heat than by pressure.

Caveats. The study involved a small number of participants and was not randomized. Findings may not apply to men. The study did not include information on side effects.

Bottom line. Women with fibromyalgia may want to talk with a pain specialist about whether dextromethorphan might benefit them.

Atrial fibrillation

What. An anti-clotting drug seems to help after rhythm returns.

Question. Sometimes the heart beats improperly – in more of a quiver than a regular pulse. Called atrial fibrillation, this disorder makes a person more likely to have a stroke, but the risk is thought to subside once a regular rhythm is restored. Do those chances change by taking warfarin, an anti-clotting drug often given people at risk of a stroke?

The study. It analyzed the data on 4,060 people with atrial fibrillation who averaged 70 years old and who had participated in an earlier randomized study that compared two methods of re-establishing a regular heartbeat. Both treatments included taking warfarin, in varying doses and for different lengths of time. After an average of 3 1/2 years, 211 people had had a stroke. Those who had used warfarin had a 69 percent lower risk of stroke than those who had not. This reduced risk was evident both among those whose atrial fibrillation persisted and those for whom a regular heartbeat had been re-established.

Caveats. The results may not apply to younger people. The findings were based on a relatively small number of people who had a stroke. The study was not randomized.

Bottom line. People with atrial fibrillation may want to talk with a cardiologist about whether warfarin might benefit them.