[Pain management in palliative care. Current aspects of medicinal therapy]

Palliative care patients do not only suffer from cancer pain but also from painful muscle spasticity due to multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, after stroke or due to dementia if damage of the pyramidal motor system is present. Centrally active muscle relaxants can be helpful also when used as coanalgesics for cancer pain. In addition to opioids other coanalgesics, such as tricyclic antidepressants or serotonin/noradrenalin reuptake inhibitors as well as anticonvulsants (sodium channel and calcium channel blockers) can be helpful if neuropathic cancer pain is present. Idiopathic Parkinsonism or multiple system atrophy leads more to a painful rigor and pain control should be supported here by optimal adjustment of L-DOPA or DOPA agonist therapy. However, pain treatment should always address the psychological, social and spiritual demands of the patient.