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Spinal Cord Injury Medications in the News

For More Information contact: OPVA Hospital Liaison

By now, you've probably heard the names of enough drugs to keep your bathroom cabinet forever full. What do they all do? Some medications help people with SCI in their battle with pain or muscle spasms. Meanwhile, doctors are experimenting with other drugs to limit nerve damage following a spinal cord injury. Here are a few drugs in the news.

Fighting Nerve Damage

*Methylprednisolone - This steroid is now considered the standard treatment for SCI. When given in high doses immediately after a SCI, the drug appears to limit paralysis. As a result, doctors use it to minimize the extent of SCI damage. Because methylprednisolone is only given for a short time following an injury, none of its serious side effects--such as weakened immune system--have been widely seen. Because the drug is new, however, its full potential, limits and side effects remain to be seen.
*GM-1 Ganglioside - This drug, although still experimental, is also given after SCI, in this case for several months after an injury. It apparently has a similar effect of limiting paralysis, allowing patients to regain more control of their body after SCI.

Controlling Muscle Spasms or Pain

* Tizanidine - This is the newest drug to control SCI spasticity, or uncontrolled muscle reflexes, recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Taken as a tablet three times a day, the drug begins working within an hour or so and offers six to eight hours of relief. Because Tizanidine can cause side effects including dizziness or drowsiness, check with your doctor about special precautions for the taking the medication. Other drugs commonly used to control pain or spasms include Baclofen, Dantrium, and Valium.

Should You Join A Clinical Trial?

Before the FDA allows a drug company to sell any drug to the public, the company must perform clinical trials with a small number of patients. These trials are designed to show that a drug is both safe for use and effective in treatment. If you'd like to enroll in a clinical trial, contact the researcher involved. You can learn about SCI trials, new drugs, and the general process of testing drugs by calling CenterWatch Clinical Trials Listing Service (617-247-2327) or checking out their Web site (http://www.CenterWatch.com). You can also check with the National Institutes of Health (www.nih.gov)

Keeping Track of Medicine

When it comes to your medications, knowing how to use them safely is extremely important. Safe use means keeping medications together, following prescriptions carefully, and recognizing unusual reactions. You can find tips for taking medication at the Spinal Cord Injury Notebook, a Web site maintained by the Charlotte Institute for Rehabilitation (http://www.charweb.org/health/rehab/scin.html).

Alternative Therapy

Anyone who's dealt with chronic pain knows that relief doesn't always come in a pharmacy bottle. Alternative therapies, like relaxation techniques or massage, can be powerful. Sometimes they can help in a way traditional medicine can't. Ask your health care provider--or others with SCI--about techniques that people often find soothing. Your rehab or physical therapist may also have information about these techniques. You will find that many doctors and therapists that deal with SCI are very open-minded to alternative therapies and many of them will be quite knowledgeable. Use these resources wisely and you can gain some control of and responsibility for your own health care.