Combination Pain Therapy in HIV Neuropathy

Summary

Neuropathy results from damage to the nerves in the feet and legs. It is usually experienced as pain, tingling or numbness. In HIV-infected people, neuropathy can result from the infection itself or be a side effect of antiretroviral treatment. The purpose of this study is to determine whether two different drugs, methadone and duloxetine, reduce neuropathy-associated pain in HIV-infected people. This study will also examine whether utilization of both of these drugs is more effective than treatment with only one.

Timeline

Start

2009-05

Primary completion

2010-12

Completion

2010-12

Publications

• Background Evans SR, Clifford DB, Kitch DW, Goodkin K, Schifitto G, McArthur JC, Simpson DM. Simplification of the research diagnosis of HIV-associated sensory neuropathy. HIV Clin Trials. 2008 Nov-Dec;9(6):434-9. doi: 10.1310/hct0906-434.
• Background Valcour V, Yeh TM, Bartt R, Clifford D, Gerschenson M, Evans SR, Cohen BA, Ebenezer GJ, Hauer P, Millar L, Gould M, Tran P, Shikuma C, Souza S, McArthur JC; AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) 5157 protocol team. Acetyl-l-carnitine and nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-associated neuropathy in HIV infection. HIV Med. 2009 Feb;10(2):103-10. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-1293.2008.00658.x.
• Harrison T, Miyahara S, Lee A, Evans S, Bastow B, Simpson D, Gilron I, Dworkin R, Daar ES, Wieclaw L, Clifford DB; ACTG A5252 Team. Experience and challenges presented by a multicenter crossover study of combination analgesic therapy for the treatment of painful HIV-associated polyneuropathies. Pain Med. 2013 Jul;14(7):1039-47. doi: 10.1111/pme.12084. Epub 2013 Apr 8.

Drugs

Indications