Although both acupuncture and the antidepressant amitriptyline are used
to treat pain due to HIV-related nerve damage, neither treatment was found
to relieve this pain in a new scientific study. The report is published
in the November 11th issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.
More than 30% of patients infected with HIV -- the virus that causes AIDS
-- develop nerve damage in their extremities, a disorder called ``peripheral
neuropathy.''
While acupuncture and antidepressants, such as amitriptyline, are often
recommended for the pain, their pain-relieving potential has never been
scientifically tested in carefully controlled studies involving HIV-positive
patients who have peripheral neuropathy, according to Dr. Judith C. Shlay
of Denver Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS in Colorado,
and colleagues.
"The use of these treatments is based on anecdotal information and
trials in other disease conditions,'' such as diabetes-related
peripheral neuropathy, the researchers write.