Pain is the most common symptom for which people seek medical help. Acute pain can easily turn into chronic pain which can be difficult to treat. Pain management is essential because even when the underlying disease process is stable, uncontrolled pain prevents patients from working productively and enjoying life.
At VivaRx, our goal is to provide a greater quality of life by reducing pain and suffering through the customization of medications to meet each individual patient’s needs that are otherwise not being met by commercially available products. Optimal treatment may include the use of different classes of medications that possess pain-relieving properties, such as some anticonvulsants, antidepressants and anesthetics. Through combining medications that utilize different mechanisms of action to alter the sensation of pain, smaller concentrations of each medication can be used.
Topical preparations such as creams, gels, solutions and sprays are often preferred to oral medicines to provide high local concentrations at the site of pain and at the same time, decreased systemic side effects (such as GI upset, drowsiness and dizziness) and the avoidance of first-pass hepatic metabolism.
A flavored troche that dissolves under the tongue or suppository can also help those patients who have difficulty in swallowing pills.