A new drug being tested might help relieve pain after surgery. It could be a good alternative to opioids, the powerful drugs often used now that can cause addiction.
Often, after a surgery, doctors give patients a type of medicine called opioids to help with the pain. But these drugs have a big downside: they can be highly addictive.
This means that people who use them can come to rely on them too much, causing serious health problems. Scientists have been trying to come up with a safer option.
The New Drug
Researchers are now testing a new drug, temporarily named VX-548. Unlike opioids, which work all over the body, this drug focuses on a specific part of our nervous system.
This part, called the peripheral sensory nerves, is where our body sends signals to our brain about pain. By targeting this part, the new drug might be able to reduce pain without causing addiction.
The researchers tested VX-548 on people who had just had bunion surgery or tummy tucks. These are both procedures that can cause a lot of pain afterwards.
The patients who received the highest dose of the new drug reported having less pain compared to those who didn’t get the drug. The side effects, mainly headaches and constipation, were mild.
Although the new drug seems promising, the researchers caution that these are early findings. The drug is now being tested in a larger group of people to see how well it works compared to a standard opioid painkiller.
But the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, does show that the new drug could be a safe and effective option for treating pain after surgery.
Why This Matters
Opioids are powerful drugs that can effectively manage pain, but they can also lead to addiction. A safe, effective alternative could be a game-changer, helping patients manage post-surgery pain without the risk of addiction.
It’s also worth noting that the researchers believe the new drug could be helpful in treating other types of pain.
For instance, they’re planning a study to see if it could help people who have nerve damage, a condition that can cause chronic pain.
While the results of the study are promising, it will take time to confirm if VX-548 is a safe and effective alternative to opioids. Still, the researchers are hopeful.
They believe that they are on the right track to creating a new type of painkiller that won’t be addictive.
Dr. Stephen Waxman, a professor of neurology and neuroscience at Yale University School of Medicine, said, “I’m confident that we will have a new class of nonaddictive pain medications. But it will take some time.”
In the meantime, this research represents a crucial step in the fight against the opioid crisis. By finding safer alternatives to opioids, we can help people manage their pain without putting them at risk of addiction.
If you care about pain, please read studies about why long COVID can cause pain, and common native American plant may help reduce diarrhea and pain.
For more information about pain, please see recent studies about why people with red hair respond differently to pain than others, and results showing this drug may relieve painful ‘long covid’ symptoms.
The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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