According to an interesting abstract presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago, the antidepressant duloxetine (Cymbalta) seems to be effective in limiting the numbness and tingling linked to taxane or platinum-based chemotherapy
Lead researcher Ellen Lavoie Smith, PhD, of the University of Michigan School of Nursing in Ann Arbor, and her colleagues that daily experiences with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (PN) dropped for several patients in the study, which featured 220 breast and GI cancer patients suffering from with peripheral neuropathy induced by paclitaxel or oxaliplatin chemotherapy
They found a "clinically significant" 30 percent or higher reduction in pain scores occurred in one third of the Cymbalta-treated patients, versus just 17 percent in the placebo arm
The use of tricyclic antidepressants is hardly a novel idea but they lack the backing evidence.
Cymbalta may just be the first drug know to have some efficacy against chemo-induced peripheral neuropathy, efficacy determined by randomized trials specific to PN.
Cymbalta is a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. It may be working by boosting pain-inhibiting neurochemicals in the brain like dopamine, according to the study.
Source: Medpage Today
The information provided on CancerTreatment.net is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. This information is solely for informational purposes and does not constitute the practice of medicine. We encourage all visitors to see a licensed physician or nutritionist if they have any concerns regarding health issues related to diet, personal image and any other topics discussed on this site. Neither the owners or employees of CancerTreatment.net nor the author(s) of site content take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading this site. Always speak with your primary health care provider before engaging in any form of self treatment. Please see our Legal Statement for further information.
