Observational studySchmerz (Berlin, Germany)2015
Topical ambroxol for the treatment of neuropathic pain. An initial clinical observation.
Observational study in Schmerz (Berlin, Germany), 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05558878 (Effect of Ambroxol on the Inflammatory Markers and Clinical Outcome of Patients With Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy), which is not on this map. Cited by 12 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Effect of Ambroxol on the Inflammatory Markers and Clinical Outcome of Patients With Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- Review
- Novel Drug Targets and Emerging Pharmacotherapies in Neuropathic Pain.Pharmaceutics · 2023Review
- The Microglial Activation Inhibitor Minocycline, Used Alone and in Combination with Duloxetine, Attenuates Pain Caused by Oxaliplatin in Mice.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Topical administration of ambroxol eye drops augments tear secretion in rabbits.Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie · 2021Article
- Topical Treatments and Their Molecular/Cellular Mechanisms in Patients with Peripheral Neuropathic Pain-Narrative Review.Pharmaceutics · 2021Review
- Peripheral Mechanisms of Neuropathic Pain-the Role of Neuronal and Non-Neuronal Interactions and Their Implications for Topical Treatment of Neuropathic Pain.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Status of peripheral sodium channel blockers for non-addictive pain treatment.Nature reviews. Neurology · 2020Review
- The past, present and future of RNA respiratory viruses: influenza and coronaviruses.Pathogens and disease · 2020Review
- Experimental Drugs for Neuropathic Pain.Current neuropharmacology · 2018Review
- Ambroxol for fibromyalgia: one group pretest-posttest open-label pilot study.Clinical rheumatology · 2017Article
- Topical Treatments for Localized Neuropathic Pain.Current pain and headache reports · 2017Review
- Ambroxol for the treatment of fibromyalgia: science or fiction?Journal of pain research · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundNeuropathic pain is difficult to treat, and the available options are often inadequate. The expectorant ambroxol also acts as a strong local anaesthetic and blocks sodium channels about 40 times more potently than lidocaine. It preferentially inhibits the channel subtype Nav 1.8, which is expressed especially in nociceptive C-fibres. In view of the low toxicity of ambroxol, it seemed reasonable to try using it for the treatment of neuropathic pain that failed to respond to other standard options. MATERIAL AND
methodsThe medical records of seven patients with severe neuropathic pain and pain reduction following topical ambroxol treatment are reported retrospectively. As standard therapies had not proved sufficient, a topical ambroxol 20% cream was repeatedly applied by the patients in the area of neuropathic pain.
resultsThe reasons for neuropathic pain were postherpetic neuralgia (2 ×), mononeuropathy multiplex, phantom pain, deafferentation pain, postoperative neuralgia and foot neuropathy of unknown origin. The individual mean pain intensity reported was between 4 and 6/10 (NRS), maximum pain at 6-10/10 (NRS). The pain reduction achieved individually following ambroxol cream was 2-8 points (NRS) within 5-30 min and lasted for 3-8 h. Pain attacks were reduced in all five patients presenting with this problem. Four patients with no improvement after lidocaine 5% and one patient with no response to capsaicin 8% nevertheless experienced a pain reduction with topical ambroxol. No patient reported any side effects or skin changes during a treatment that has since been continued for up to 4 years.
conclusionAmbroxol acts as a strong local anaesthetic and preferentially inhibits the nociceptively relevant sodium channel subtype Nav 1.8. For the first time, we report below on a relevant pain relief following topical ambroxol 20% cream in patients with neuropathic pain. In view of the positive side effect profile, the clinical benefit in patients with pain should be investigated further.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.