1Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea
2Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Copyright © 2023 Korean Diabetes Association
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.
FUNDING
This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (No. NRF-2020R1C1C1013766).
Class | Drugs | Mechanisms | RCTs | Outcomes for mean pain score | Dose | Effects | Adverse effects | FDA approval | Available in Korea |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gabapentinoids | Pregabalin | Inhibition of neurotransmitter release through binding to the α2δ subunit of calcium voltagegated channels | Rosenstock et al. (2004) [29] | NRPS: 6.5→4.0 (pregabalin) vs. 6.1→5.3 (placebo) | Initial 150 mg/day (max. 300 mg/day) | Pain relief in painful DPN, postherpetic neuralgia, fibromyalgia, and spinal cord injury | Dizziness, somnolence, dry mouth, edema, blurred vision, weight gain, thinking abnormal | Painful DPN, postherpetic neuralgia, partial onset seizures, fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain associated with spinal cord injury | Yes |
Lesser et al. (2004) [30] | Difference at endpoint: −1.26 (300 mg/day); −1.45 (600 mg/day) | ||||||||
Gabapentin | Backonja et al. (1998) [24] | 11–point Likert scale: 6.4→3.9 (gabapentin) vs. 6.5→5.1 (placebo) | Initial 300 mg/ day (max. 1,800 mg/day) | Pain relief in painful DPN and postherpetic neuralgia | Dizziness, somnolence, peripheral edema | Postherpetic neuralgia, partial onset seizures | Yes | ||
Sandercock et al. (2009) [26] | Difference in ADP score at endpoint: –2.76 (gabapentin extended-release) vs. –1.38 (placebo) | ||||||||
Mirogabalin | Vinik et al. (2014) [37] | Difference in ADP score at endpoint: –0.94 (15 mg/day); –0.88 (20 mg/day); –1.01 (30 mg/day) | Initial 10 mg/day (max. 30 mg/day) | Pain relief in painful DPN and postherpetic neuralgia | Dizziness, somnolence, peripheral edema | None | No | ||
Merante et al. (2017) [38] | “Much improved” or “better” for the PGIC: 49.1% (5 mg/day); 54.5% (10 mg/day); 48.0% (15 mg/day); 48.1% (20 mg/day); 50.0% (30 mg/day) vs. 31.1% (placebo) | ||||||||
Baba et al. (2019) [39] | Difference in ADP score at endpoint: –1.81 (mirogabalin 30 mg/day) vs. –1.31 (placebo) | ||||||||
SNRIs | Duloxetine | Inhibition of reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine | Goldstein et al. (2005) [46] | Difference from placebo at endpoint: –1.17 (95% CI, –1.84 to –0.50) (60 mg/day); –1.45 (95% CI, –2.13 to –0.78) (120 mg/day) | 60 mg/day | Pain relief in painful DPN, fibromyalgia and chronic musculoskeletal pain | Nausea, dry mouth, somnolence, fatigue, constipation, decreased appetite, hyperhidrosis | MDD, GAD, painful DPN, fibromyalgia, chronic musculoskeletal pain | Yes |
Venlafaxine | Rowbotham et al. (2004) [49] | Reduction in VAS-PI at endpoint: 50% (150–225 mg) vs. 27% (placebo) | Initial 37.5 mg/day (max. 225 mg/day) | Pain relief in painful DPN | Nausea, somnolence, dry mouth, sweating, abnormal ejaculation, anorexia, constipation, erectile dysfunction, libido decreased | MDD, anxiety disorder, panic disorder | No | ||
TCA | Amitriptyline | Inhibition of reuptake of noradrenaline and serotonin in presynaptic neurons and antagonizing N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors | Max et al. (1987) [56] | Pain relief: 23/29 (amitriptyline) vs. 1/29 (placebo) | Initial 75 mg/day (max. 150 mg/day) | Pain relief in painful DPN, neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia | Dry mouth, somnolence, dizziness, constipation, weight gain | Depression | Yes |
Alphalipoic acid | Thiotic acid | Antioxidant | Ziegler et al. (1995) [66] | Decrease in total symptom score at endpoint: –58.6% (1,200 mg/day); –63.5% (600 mg/day); –38.4% (placebo) | 600 mg/day | Pain relief in painful DPN | Headache, hearburn, nausea, vomiting | None | Yes |
Sodium channel blockers | Carbamazepine | Inhibition of the secretion of neurotransmitters by blocking presynaptic voltage-sensitive sodium channels | Razazian et al. (2014) [51] | VAS score: 74.5→39.6 (carbamazepine) vs. 82.3→33.4 (pregabalin) vs. 74.5→46.6 (venlafaxine) | Initial 200 mg/day (max. 800 mg/day) | Pain relief in neuropathic pain | Dizziness, somnolence, unsteadiness, nausea, vomiting | Epilepsy, trigeminal neuralgia | Yes |
Oxcarbazepine | Dogra et al. (2005) [69] | >50% reduction in VAS score at endpoint: 35.2% (oxcarbazepine) vs. 18.4% (placebo) | Initial 600 mg/day (max. 2,400 mg/day) | Pain relief in neuropathic pain | Dizziness, somnolence, diplopia, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, ataxia, abnormal vision, headache, nystagmus, tremor, abnormal gait | Partial seizures | |||
Topical agent | Capsaicin 8% patch | Removal of substance P from vanilloid nerve receptors | Simpson et al. (2017) [75] | Difference in ADP score at endpoint: –27.4% (capsaicin 8% patch) vs. –20.9% (placebo) | Max. 4 patches for 30 min- utes | Relief of neuropathic pain associated with postherpetic neuralgia and DPN | Site erythema, application site pain, application site pruritus | Postherpetic neuralgia, painful DPN of the feet | No |
RCT, randomized controlled trial; FDA, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; NRPS, numeric pain rating scale; DPN, diabetic peripheral neuropathy; ADP, average daily pain; PGIC, patient global impression of change; SNRI, serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor; CI, confidence interval; MDD, major depressive disorder; GAD, generalized anxiety disorder; VAS-PI, VAS pain intensity; TCA, tricyclic antidepressant; VAS, visual analogue scale.
Study | Intervention | Control treatment | Study population; follow-up duration | Outcomes (mean±SD or mean [95% CI] or number [%]): Intervention vs. Control (P value) |
---|---|---|---|---|
De Vos et al. (2014) [101] | LF-SCS | Medical therapy | 40 (intervention) vs. 20 (control); 6 months | Percentages of patients with 50% pain reduction: 25 (60%) vs. 1 (5%) (P<0.001) |
VAS: 73±16→31±28 vs. 67±18→67±21 (P<0.001) | ||||
MPQ NWC-T: 13±5→8±7 vs. 13±3→13±4 (P<0.01) | ||||
MPQ PRI-T: 27±13→15±14 vs. 24±9→26±10 (P<0.01) | ||||
MPQ QoL: 16±5→8±7 vs. 15±6→14±6 (P<0.001) | ||||
EQ-5D VAS: 50±19→61±22 vs. 46±17→41±20 (P<0.01) | ||||
PGIC pain: 29 (73%) vs. 3 (17%) (P<0.01) | ||||
Satisfaction with treatment: 8/10 vs. 4/10 (P<0.001) | ||||
Slangen et al. (2014) [102] | LF-SCS | Medical therapy | 22 (intervention) vs. 14 (control); 6 months | Percentage of patients with 50% pain reduction (day): 9 (41%) vs. 0 (0%) (P<0.001) |
Percentages of patients with 50% pain reduction (night): 8 (36%) vs. 1 (7%) (P<0.01) | ||||
NRS during the day: –3.1 points vs. no change (P<0.001) | ||||
NRS during the night: –2.4 points vs. –0.9 points (P<0.003) | ||||
EQ-5D Utility score: 0.25±031→0.50±0.33 vs. 0.33±0.32→0.33±0.29 (NS) | ||||
EQ-5D Current health: 53.9±18.5→57.6±24.3 vs. 54.6±16.7→56.5±14.2 (NS) | ||||
PGIC for pain: 12 (55%) vs. 0 (0%) (P<0.001) | ||||
PGIC for sleep: 8 (36%) vs. 0 (5%) (P<0.05) | ||||
Treatment successa: 13 (59%) vs. 1 (7%) (P<0.01) | ||||
Petersen et al. (2021) [103] | HF-SCS | Medical therapy | 113 (intervention) vs. 103 (control); 6 months | Combination of 50% pain reduction and no deterioration on neurological examination: 75 (79%) vs. 5 (5%) (P<0.001) |
Percentages of patients with 50% pain reduction: 74 (85%) vs. 5 (5%) (P<0.001) | ||||
VAS: 7.6 [7.3–7.9]→1.7 [1.3–2.1] vs. 7.0 [6.7–7.3]→6.9 [6.5–7.3] (P<0.001) | ||||
Percentages of patients with VAS ≤3: 53 (60%) vs. 1 (1%) (P<0.001) | ||||
EQ-5D-5L index: 0.130±0.159 vs. –0.031±0.127 (P<0.001) | ||||
EQ-5D-5L health VAS: 15.9±21.6 vs. –1.7±23.0 (P<0.001) |
SD, standard deviation; CI, confidence interval; LF, low-frequency; SCS, spinal cord stimulation; VAS, visual analogue scale; MPQ, McGill Pain Questionnaire; NWC-T, the total number of words chosen from the McGill Pain Questionnaire; PRI-T, pain rating index; QoL, quality of life; EQ-5D, EuroQoL-5D; PGIC, patient global impression of change; NRS, numeric rating scale; NS, not statistically significant; HF, high-frequency.
a Treatment success means ≥50% reduction in pain intensity during the daytime or nighttime or an improvement in pain and sleep of ≥6 in the PGIC score.
Class | Drugs | Mechanisms | RCTs | Outcomes for mean pain score | Dose | Effects | Adverse effects | FDA approval | Available in Korea |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gabapentinoids | Pregabalin | Inhibition of neurotransmitter release through binding to the α2δ subunit of calcium voltagegated channels | Rosenstock et al. (2004) [29] | NRPS: 6.5→4.0 (pregabalin) vs. 6.1→5.3 (placebo) | Initial 150 mg/day (max. 300 mg/day) | Pain relief in painful DPN, postherpetic neuralgia, fibromyalgia, and spinal cord injury | Dizziness, somnolence, dry mouth, edema, blurred vision, weight gain, thinking abnormal | Painful DPN, postherpetic neuralgia, partial onset seizures, fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain associated with spinal cord injury | Yes |
Lesser et al. (2004) [30] | Difference at endpoint: −1.26 (300 mg/day); −1.45 (600 mg/day) | ||||||||
Gabapentin | Backonja et al. (1998) [24] | 11–point Likert scale: 6.4→3.9 (gabapentin) vs. 6.5→5.1 (placebo) | Initial 300 mg/ day (max. 1,800 mg/day) | Pain relief in painful DPN and postherpetic neuralgia | Dizziness, somnolence, peripheral edema | Postherpetic neuralgia, partial onset seizures | Yes | ||
Sandercock et al. (2009) [26] | Difference in ADP score at endpoint: –2.76 (gabapentin extended-release) vs. –1.38 (placebo) | ||||||||
Mirogabalin | Vinik et al. (2014) [37] | Difference in ADP score at endpoint: –0.94 (15 mg/day); –0.88 (20 mg/day); –1.01 (30 mg/day) | Initial 10 mg/day (max. 30 mg/day) | Pain relief in painful DPN and postherpetic neuralgia | Dizziness, somnolence, peripheral edema | None | No | ||
Merante et al. (2017) [38] | “Much improved” or “better” for the PGIC: 49.1% (5 mg/day); 54.5% (10 mg/day); 48.0% (15 mg/day); 48.1% (20 mg/day); 50.0% (30 mg/day) vs. 31.1% (placebo) | ||||||||
Baba et al. (2019) [39] | Difference in ADP score at endpoint: –1.81 (mirogabalin 30 mg/day) vs. –1.31 (placebo) | ||||||||
SNRIs | Duloxetine | Inhibition of reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine | Goldstein et al. (2005) [46] | Difference from placebo at endpoint: –1.17 (95% CI, –1.84 to –0.50) (60 mg/day); –1.45 (95% CI, –2.13 to –0.78) (120 mg/day) | 60 mg/day | Pain relief in painful DPN, fibromyalgia and chronic musculoskeletal pain | Nausea, dry mouth, somnolence, fatigue, constipation, decreased appetite, hyperhidrosis | MDD, GAD, painful DPN, fibromyalgia, chronic musculoskeletal pain | Yes |
Venlafaxine | Rowbotham et al. (2004) [49] | Reduction in VAS-PI at endpoint: 50% (150–225 mg) vs. 27% (placebo) | Initial 37.5 mg/day (max. 225 mg/day) | Pain relief in painful DPN | Nausea, somnolence, dry mouth, sweating, abnormal ejaculation, anorexia, constipation, erectile dysfunction, libido decreased | MDD, anxiety disorder, panic disorder | No | ||
TCA | Amitriptyline | Inhibition of reuptake of noradrenaline and serotonin in presynaptic neurons and antagonizing N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors | Max et al. (1987) [56] | Pain relief: 23/29 (amitriptyline) vs. 1/29 (placebo) | Initial 75 mg/day (max. 150 mg/day) | Pain relief in painful DPN, neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia | Dry mouth, somnolence, dizziness, constipation, weight gain | Depression | Yes |
Alphalipoic acid | Thiotic acid | Antioxidant | Ziegler et al. (1995) [66] | Decrease in total symptom score at endpoint: –58.6% (1,200 mg/day); –63.5% (600 mg/day); –38.4% (placebo) | 600 mg/day | Pain relief in painful DPN | Headache, hearburn, nausea, vomiting | None | Yes |
Sodium channel blockers | Carbamazepine | Inhibition of the secretion of neurotransmitters by blocking presynaptic voltage-sensitive sodium channels | Razazian et al. (2014) [51] | VAS score: 74.5→39.6 (carbamazepine) vs. 82.3→33.4 (pregabalin) vs. 74.5→46.6 (venlafaxine) | Initial 200 mg/day (max. 800 mg/day) | Pain relief in neuropathic pain | Dizziness, somnolence, unsteadiness, nausea, vomiting | Epilepsy, trigeminal neuralgia | Yes |
Oxcarbazepine | Dogra et al. (2005) [69] | >50% reduction in VAS score at endpoint: 35.2% (oxcarbazepine) vs. 18.4% (placebo) | Initial 600 mg/day (max. 2,400 mg/day) | Pain relief in neuropathic pain | Dizziness, somnolence, diplopia, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, ataxia, abnormal vision, headache, nystagmus, tremor, abnormal gait | Partial seizures | |||
Topical agent | Capsaicin 8% patch | Removal of substance P from vanilloid nerve receptors | Simpson et al. (2017) [75] | Difference in ADP score at endpoint: –27.4% (capsaicin 8% patch) vs. –20.9% (placebo) | Max. 4 patches for 30 min- utes | Relief of neuropathic pain associated with postherpetic neuralgia and DPN | Site erythema, application site pain, application site pruritus | Postherpetic neuralgia, painful DPN of the feet | No |
Study | Intervention | Control treatment | Study population; follow-up duration | Outcomes (mean±SD or mean [95% CI] or number [%]): Intervention vs. Control (P value) |
---|---|---|---|---|
De Vos et al. (2014) [101] | LF-SCS | Medical therapy | 40 (intervention) vs. 20 (control); 6 months | Percentages of patients with 50% pain reduction: 25 (60%) vs. 1 (5%) (P<0.001) |
VAS: 73±16→31±28 vs. 67±18→67±21 (P<0.001) | ||||
MPQ NWC-T: 13±5→8±7 vs. 13±3→13±4 (P<0.01) | ||||
MPQ PRI-T: 27±13→15±14 vs. 24±9→26±10 (P<0.01) | ||||
MPQ QoL: 16±5→8±7 vs. 15±6→14±6 (P<0.001) | ||||
EQ-5D VAS: 50±19→61±22 vs. 46±17→41±20 (P<0.01) | ||||
PGIC pain: 29 (73%) vs. 3 (17%) (P<0.01) | ||||
Satisfaction with treatment: 8/10 vs. 4/10 (P<0.001) | ||||
Slangen et al. (2014) [102] | LF-SCS | Medical therapy | 22 (intervention) vs. 14 (control); 6 months | Percentage of patients with 50% pain reduction (day): 9 (41%) vs. 0 (0%) (P<0.001) |
Percentages of patients with 50% pain reduction (night): 8 (36%) vs. 1 (7%) (P<0.01) | ||||
NRS during the day: –3.1 points vs. no change (P<0.001) | ||||
NRS during the night: –2.4 points vs. –0.9 points (P<0.003) | ||||
EQ-5D Utility score: 0.25±031→0.50±0.33 vs. 0.33±0.32→0.33±0.29 (NS) | ||||
EQ-5D Current health: 53.9±18.5→57.6±24.3 vs. 54.6±16.7→56.5±14.2 (NS) | ||||
PGIC for pain: 12 (55%) vs. 0 (0%) (P<0.001) | ||||
PGIC for sleep: 8 (36%) vs. 0 (5%) (P<0.05) | ||||
Treatment successa: 13 (59%) vs. 1 (7%) (P<0.01) | ||||
Petersen et al. (2021) [103] | HF-SCS | Medical therapy | 113 (intervention) vs. 103 (control); 6 months | Combination of 50% pain reduction and no deterioration on neurological examination: 75 (79%) vs. 5 (5%) (P<0.001) |
Percentages of patients with 50% pain reduction: 74 (85%) vs. 5 (5%) (P<0.001) | ||||
VAS: 7.6 [7.3–7.9]→1.7 [1.3–2.1] vs. 7.0 [6.7–7.3]→6.9 [6.5–7.3] (P<0.001) | ||||
Percentages of patients with VAS ≤3: 53 (60%) vs. 1 (1%) (P<0.001) | ||||
EQ-5D-5L index: 0.130±0.159 vs. –0.031±0.127 (P<0.001) | ||||
EQ-5D-5L health VAS: 15.9±21.6 vs. –1.7±23.0 (P<0.001) |
RCT, randomized controlled trial; FDA, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; NRPS, numeric pain rating scale; DPN, diabetic peripheral neuropathy; ADP, average daily pain; PGIC, patient global impression of change; SNRI, serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor; CI, confidence interval; MDD, major depressive disorder; GAD, generalized anxiety disorder; VAS-PI, VAS pain intensity; TCA, tricyclic antidepressant; VAS, visual analogue scale.
SD, standard deviation; CI, confidence interval; LF, low-frequency; SCS, spinal cord stimulation; VAS, visual analogue scale; MPQ, McGill Pain Questionnaire; NWC-T, the total number of words chosen from the McGill Pain Questionnaire; PRI-T, pain rating index; QoL, quality of life; EQ-5D, EuroQoL-5D; PGIC, patient global impression of change; NRS, numeric rating scale; NS, not statistically significant; HF, high-frequency. Treatment success means ≥50% reduction in pain intensity during the daytime or nighttime or an improvement in pain and sleep of ≥6 in the PGIC score.