Fibromyalgia: Pain and the Brain

Fibromyalgia:
Pain and the Brain

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Fibromyalgia: Pain and the Brain ~ Member Rate - $25.00

Fibromyalgia: Pain and the Brain - $30.00

Session Summary

This presentation will discuss the prevalence, clinical presentation, pathophysiology diagnosis and treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). While not completely understood, disordered central pain processing likely plays a role in the pathogenesis of FMS and treatment strategies primarily focus on alleviating pain and addressing associated symptoms and comorbid conditions. Despite evidence suggesting efficacy of various agents that act on the central nervous system and modulate pain perception (i.e., antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and muscle relaxants), no one drug or class of drugs has been shown to completely address all symptoms of FMS. The role and efficacy of nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic treatment strategies in FMS, including strategies that have been shown to be ineffective will be discussed. Details regarding evidence-based data will be provided. Evidence-based recommendations using an integrated approach that combines non-pharmacologic (i.e., patient education, exercise, and cognitive behavioral therapy) and pharmacologic approaches in the management of FMS will also be reviewed.

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Faculty Information

Anna Morin, PharmD, BCPP

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Anna Morin, PharmD, BCPP
Associate Professor and Associate Dean
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences School of Pharmacy
Worcester/Manchester, MA

Anna earned her BS in Pharmacy in 1990 and her PharmD in 1993 at the University of Rhode Island. Upon graduation she worked at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts as a Clinical Coordinator and Manager of Research and Clinical Services where she was responsible for research and clinical activities carried out in the areas of oncology, cardiology, critical care, infectious diseases and psychiatry. While at Saint Vincent Hospital, Anna also maintained a clinical practice in psychiatry and served as a pharmacy clerkship preceptor, a member of the IRB, and ACPE continuing education coordinator until 1998. Prior to joining the faculty at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) in Worcester, Massachusetts in 2002 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, Anna worked as a pharmacotherapy consultant and Director of the Massachusetts Drug Utilization Review Program. She was promoted to Associate Professor in 2008. Currently Anna holds the positions of both Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Associate Dean for the School of Pharmacy-Worcester/Manchester at MCPHS, and serves on the Assessment, Curriculum and Admissions Committees.

During her time at MCPHS, Anna has taught in several core pharmacy courses including the Psychiatric Module in Pharmacotherapeutics and in several electives including Women’s Health, Drug Induced Diseases, Pharmacy Ethics and Professionalism, and Herbals and Complementary Alternative Medicines. She was recognized as the “School of Pharmacy-Worcester/Manchester Teacher of the Year” in 2007. Anna also teaches the Psychopharmacology Module in the School of Physician Assistant Studies at MCPHS. Her practice site is Worcester State Hospital in Worcester, MA and her clinical interests include psychiatry, women's health, and herbals, complementary and alternative medicines. In her role as Associate Dean, Anna coordinates the re-accreditation and curricular and outcomes assessment efforts of the School of Pharmacy-Worcester/Manchester.

Anna is a member of numerous pharmacy professional organizations and has authored several review articles on the management of insomnia, menstrual disorders, and fibromyalgia. She serves as a member of the editorial board of Evaluations of Drug Interactions, First Data Bank and is a peer reviewer for a number of pharmacy journals, including US Pharmacist, Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, and the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy.

Presentation will include discussion of off-label, experimental, and/or investigational use of drugs or devices:

antidepressants (amitriptyline, nortriptyline, fluoxetine, citalopram, sertraline, paroxetine, venlafaxine, tranylcypromine, phenelzine); analgesics (NSAIDs, acetaminophen, opiates, tramadol); anticonvulsants (gabapentin); muscle relaxants (cyclobenzaprine); hypnotics (zolpidem, sodium oxybate) and dopamine agonists (pramipexole) used in the treatment of fibromyalgia.

Learning Objectives

Outline the proposed etiology and pathophysiological mechanisms for a fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) diagnosis
Discuss the sensitivity and specificity of the available tools for FMS assessment, especially in the presence of concomitant medical/psychiatric co-morbidities
Evaluate the non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic options currently available for the treatment of FMS
Select the most appropriate therapeutic options via case-based scenarios with a focus on pros and cons for each modality chosen

Continuing Education Credit

Activity Dates: 05/01/2011 - 05/01/2014
ACPE Contact Hours: 1.0
ACPE Number: 0284-9999-11-003-H01-P (Application)
Nursing Credit Reminder: Note that ACPE and ACCME credit is accepted for certification renewal.

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ACPE The College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. This self-study course provides 1.0 contact hours (0.10 CEUs) of knowledge-based continuing education credit from CPNP approved programming. The ACPE universal program number assigned to this course is 0284-0999-11-003-H01-P (1.0 contact hours).

ACPE approved contact hours are accepted for ANCC Certification Renewal (see pages 5 and 6): At least 50% (37.5 hours) of your 75 continuing education hours must be formally approved continuing education hours. Formally approved continuing education hours meet one or more of the criteria listed below:

Continuing nursing education (CNE) approved for nursing contact hours by an accredited provider or approver of nursing continuing education
Continuing medical education (CME) approved for CME hours
Sponsored by organizations, agencies, or educational institutions accredited or approved by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) or the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) or the Commission on Dietetic Registration

Course Requirements

This course is provided online at cpnp.org and consists of the speaker audio and slides. A PDF file of the slides is also provided and access is available to participants indefinitely although ACPE credit is available only through the course expiration date.

Participants in this course must complete an examination and achieve a score of 60% or greater. Successful completion of the course also requires the completion of a course evaluation. ACPE statements of credit can be retrieved by participants online at cpnp.org immediately upon successful completion of the course.

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Minimum:

Internet Explorer 6+, Firefox 2+ or Safari 3+
1024x768 resolution or greater
Adobe Flash Player 8+
512MB RAM
Any Operating System capable of the above requirements

Recommended:

Internet Explorer 7+, Firefox 3+ or Safari 3+
1280x768 resolution or greater
Adobe Flash Player 10+
Windows XP/2000/Vista and Mac OS 10.4 or better
512MB of RAM for Windows XP or Mac OS
1GB of RAM for Windows Vista

Target Audience

If you are a pharmacist, nurse practitioner or other healthcare professional involved in the medication therapy management of psychiatric and/or neurological patients, we invite you to participate in this online course.

Grant Support

Supported by an educational grant from Janssen, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., administered by Ortho-McNeil Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC and Lilly USA, LLC.

This programming was supported in part by grants from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cyberonics, Merk and Sunovion.