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 Home : Breakthrough Pain : FAQ's For Patients
Questions and Answers About Breakthrough Pain for Patients

What is breakthrough pain, or "BTP"?
If you have moderate to severe pain that lasts 12 hours or more per day, it is called persistent pain, and your doctor can give you a longer-acting medication that should last up to 12 hours or more.

Unfortunately, up to 86% of patients already receiving longer-acting pain medication also experience sudden flare-ups of pain that "break through" the medication they are taking.1 This is called "breakthrough pain," or "BTP."


Why is it important to treat BTP?
Breakthrough pain strikes quickly and without warning in many cases.2 Untreated breakthrough pain can decrease your quality of life by negatively affecting your mood and interactions with others, and by limiting your daily activities.3

The ideal medication for breakthrough pain would begin to work quickly and would last about as long as a typical breakthrough pain episode.4

How is medicine for BTP different from the medicine I already take for my persistent pain?
The medicine that you are already taking for your persistent pain is called "longer-acting," "sustained-release," or "around-the-clock" medicine. Some examples of longer-acting medicines are pills that are taken every 8 to 12 hours or a skin patch that is worn for several days.

The medicines required for breakthrough pain are called "shorter-acting," "supplemental," or "rescue" medicines.

Do I have BTP?
Some patients find it difficult to bring up the topic of pain. They assume the pain medication they're already receiving is all that's available. Or they think they'll distract their doctor from their therapy for their disease or condition. Neither is true. Pain is now considered a separate medical condition that requires treatment separate from treatment of a disease or condition. So to make sure you're getting the pain control you deserve, talk to your doctor. The pain self-assessment form for patients can help you do this. If you print it out now and fill in your answers, it will be ready for your next appointment.

References:
1. Fine PG, Busch MA. Characterization of breakthrough pain by hospice patients and their caregivers. J Pain Symptom Manage. 1998;16:179-183.
2. Portenoy RK, Hagen NA. Breakthrough pain: definition, prevalence and characteristics. Pain. 1990;41:273-281.
3. Simmonds MA. Management of breakthrough pain due to cancer. Oncology. 1999;13:1103-1108.
4. Chandler S. Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate: a new treatment for breakthrough pain. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 1999;16:489-491.

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