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Dexamethasone alters plasma levels of beta‐endorphin and postoperative pain
Author(s) -
Hargreaves Kenneth M,
Schmidt Elizabeth A,
Mueller Gregory P,
Dionne Raymond A
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.941
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1532-6535
pISSN - 0009-9236
DOI - 10.1038/clpt.1987.206
Subject(s) - placebo , dexamethasone , medicine , anesthesia , beta endorphin , endocrinology , pathology , alternative medicine
Secretion of pituitary immunoreactive β‐endorphin is hypothesized to modulate the perception of pain. The present study examined this question by evaluating the effects of intravenous placebo or dexamethasone (0.1, 0.32, or 1.0 mg) on suppression of immunoreactive β‐endorphin secretion and development of postoperative pain after the surgical removal of impacted third molars in 48 patients. Compared with placebo, all doses of dexamethasone suppressed the postoperative increase in circulating levels of immunoreactive β‐endorphin. Patients administered 0.1 mg dexamethasone reported greater levels of pain, compared with those given placebo, from 60 through 120 minutes after surgery. Postoperative pain for the 0.32 and 1.0 mg doses did not differ from that for the placebo group. The increased pain after suppression of β‐endorphin release by the low dose of dexamethasone suggests that pituitary secretion of immunoreactive β‐endorphin alleviates postoperative pain under these conditions. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1987) 42 , 601–607; doi: 10.1038/clpt.1987.206