Medication Use and Pain Management in Pregnancy: A Critical Review.

BACKGROUND: Pain during pregnancy is common, and its management is complex. Certain analgesics may increase the risk for adverse fetal and pregnancy outcomes, while poorly managed pain can result in adverse maternal outcomes such as depression and hypertension. Guidelines to assist clinicians in assessing risks and benefits of exposure to analgesics for the mother and unborn infant are lacking, necessitating evidence-based recommendations for managing pain in pregnancy. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was conducted to assess pregnancy safety data for pharmacological and nonpharmacological pain management methods. Relevant clinical trials and observational studies were identified using multiple medical databases, and included studies were evaluated for quality and possible biases. RESULTS: Paracetamol and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are appropriate for mild to moderate pain, but NSAIDs should be avoided in the third trimester due to established risks. Short courses of weaker opioids are generally safe in pregnancy, although neonatal abstinence syndrome must be monitored following third trimester exposure. Limited safety data for pregabalin and gabapentin indicate that these are unlikely to be major teratogens, and tricyclic antidepressants and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors have limited but overall reassuring safety data. Many of the included studies were limited by methodological issues. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this review can guide clinicians in their decision to prescribe analgesics for pregnant women. Treatment should be tailored to the lowest therapeutic dose and shortest possible duration, and management should involve a discussion of risks and benefits and monitoring for response. Further research is required to better understand the safety profile of various analgesics in pregnancy.

Metabolic and endocrinal effects of epidural glucocorticoid injections.

INTRODUCTION: Epidural steroid injections are an integral part of nonsurgical management of radicular pain from lumbar spine disorders. We studied the effect of dexamethasone 8 mg epidural injections on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and serum glucose control of Asian patients. METHODS: 18 patients were recruited: six diabetics and 12 non-diabetics. Each patient received a total of dexamethasone 8 mg mixed with a local anaesthetic solution of lignocaine or bupivacaine, delivered into the epidural space. Levels of plasma cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), serum glucose after an overnight fast and two-hour postprandial glucose, as well as weight, body mass index, blood pressure and heart rate were measured within one week prior to the procedure (baseline) and at one, seven and 21 days after the procedure. RESULTS: Median fasting blood glucose levels were significantly higher on post-procedure Day 1 than at baseline. However, there was no significant change in median two-hour postprandial blood glucose from baseline levels. At seven and 21 days, there was no significant difference in fasting or two-hour postprandial glucose levels. Both ACTH and serum cortisol were significantly reduced on Day 1 compared to baseline in all patients. There was no significant difference in ACTH and serum cortisol levels from baseline at Days 7 and 21. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that epidural steroid injections with dexamethasone have a real, albeit limited, side effect on glucose and cortisol homeostasis in an Asian population presenting with lower back pain or sciatica.

Third nerve palsy associated with preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome.

Preeclampsia can cause myriad organ dysfunction, including cranial nerve palsies that pose diagnostic and management dilemmas. We present an unusual case of third nerve palsy, (presenting as diplopia, ptosis) with hypertension, hyperreflexia, proteinuria, easy bruising in a parturient at 34 + 6/52 weeks of twins gestation. She was treated as for severe preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome; intravenous magnesium sulphate and labetalol commenced and emergent cesarean delivery performed under general anesthesia due to concerns of low platelets and for airway protection should her glascow coma scale (GCS) deteriorate. Postoperatively, stroke, aneurysm and intra-cerebral causes of third nerve palsy were excluded, with subsequent recovery of symptoms upon blood pressure normalization. The eye signs are postulated to be due to two preeclamptic mechanisms involving disordered cerebral autoregulation: (1) hyperperfusion and breakdown of the blood-brain barrier that occurs with rising hypertension, causing fluid/blood product extravasation into brain parenchyma, or (2) focal reactive vasoconstriction and local hypoperfusion, contributed to by endothelial dysfunction.