The management of neuropathic pain with a focus upon older adults

By the year 2030, it is projected that the US population over the age of 65 years will be 70 million (one-fifth of the US population). Pain of various etiologies initiates about 50% of yearly physician visits and is the most frequent reason for health care consultation in the United States identified commonly by the older patient. The negative impact on the patient coupled with less than optimal treatments often presented to the patient elicit patient and prescriber frustration with inadequate outcomes. This article is focused at pharmacotherapeutic selections to be utilized in a polymodal fashion for the older adult presenting with neuropathic pain. The pharmacotherapies are to be titrated in a patient-specific patient centered-patient focused-personalized pharmacotherapeutic care. The classes of agents discussed include antidepressants, mood stabilizers/antiseizure agents, opioids, anesthetics, and miscellaneous agents.