Use of Driving Tests to Evaluate Patient Performance on Oral Opioids

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Many patients seen at Pain Centers are advised not to drive if they are on long-term opioid medications. Although such advice is routinely given considering patients' safety, unnecessary restrictions to driving can cause inconvenience to the patients and delay their treatment. Such restrictions also pose social and legal questions to patients and physicians. The investigators would like to test such patients' ability to drive under oral opioids using a driving simulator at the Pain Center. This simulator is like a video game with computer and a steering wheel to simulate real life driving. The driving simulator provides measure on several outcome measures, such as attention, reaction time, etc. allowing us to specifically address question pertaining to any cognitive or behavioral differences.

Detailed Description
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Many patients seen at Pain Centers are advised not to drive if they are on long-term opioid medications. Although such advice is routinely given considering patients' safety, unnecessary restrictions to driving can cause inconvenience to the patients and delay their treatment. Such restrictions also pose social and legal questions to patients and physicians. The investigators would like to test such patients' ability to drive under oral opioids using a driving simulator at the Pain Centre. This simulator is like a video game with computer and a steering wheel to simulate real life driving. The driving simulator provides measure on several outcome measures, such as attention, reaction time, etc. allowing us to specifically address question pertaining to any cognitive or behavioral differences. A pilot phase, for feasibility, included 80 subjects. This phase will include a comparison with a random selection of 450 patients receiving one of the following 5 treatments: Group 1 (IT): Subjects receiving 1-10 mg/day of morphine or its equivalent doses of opioid medications through intrathecal route. Intrathecal medications are administered through a catheter in spinal cord Group 2 (Oral): Subjects receiving oral opioids (morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, methadone), but not also receiving anticonvulsants (gabapentin, pregabalin, topiramate), muscle relaxants, benzodiazepines, or diphenylhydramine for at least a week before testing; low dose antidepressants and/or NSAIDs are OK Group 3 (Oral + Anticonvulsant): Subjects receiving oral opioids (morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, methadone) and anticonvulsants (gabapentin, pregabalin, topiramate), but not also receiving muscle relaxants, benzodiazepines, or diphenylhydramine for at least a week before testing; low dose antidepressants and/or NSAIDs are OK Group 4 (Control -Pain) Subject not receiving opioid medications, anticonvulsants (gabapentin, pregabalin, topiramate), muscle relaxants, benzodiazepines, or diphenylhydramine for at least a week before testing; low dose antidepressants and/or NSAIDs are OK. Group 5 (Control -No Pain) Age-matched volunteers (NO PAIN) not receiving opioid medications, anticonvulsants (gabapentin, pregabalin, topiramate), muscle relaxants, benzodiazepines, or diphenylhydramine for at least a week before testing; low dose antidepressants and/or NSAIDs are OK. First group has 50 patients and the rest will have 100 patients each.

Official Title
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Use of Driving Tests to Evaluate Patient Performance on Oral Opioids

Conditions
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Chronic Pain

Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Driving license Exclusion Criteria: Any other drug or condition that would impair driving ability History of seizures

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 80 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| IT<br>Subjects receiving 1-10 mg/day of morphine or its equivalent doses of opioid medications through intrathecal route. Intrathecal medications are administered through a catheter in spinal cord | |
| Oral<br>Subjects receiving oral opioids (morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, methadone), but not also receiving anticonvulsants (gabapentin, pregabalin, topiramate), muscle relaxants, benzodiazepines, or diphenylhydramine for at least a week before testing; low dose antidepressants and/or NSAIDs are OK | |
| Oral + Anticonvulsant<br>Subjects receiving oral opioids (morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, methadone) and anticonvulsants (gabapentin, pregabalin, topiramate), but not also receiving muscle relaxants, benzodiazepines, or diphenylhydramine for at least a week before testing; low dose antidepressants and/or NSAIDs are OK | |
| Control -Pain<br>Subject not receiving opioid medications, anticonvulsants (gabapentin, pregabalin, topiramate), muscle relaxants, benzodiazepines, or diphenylhydramine for at least a week before testing; low dose antidepressants and/or NSAIDs are OK. | |
| Control -No Pain<br>Age-matched volunteers (NO PAIN) not receiving opioid medications, anticonvulsants (gabapentin, pregabalin, topiramate), muscle relaxants, benzodiazepines, or diphenylhydramine for at least a week before testing; low dose antidepressants and/or NSAIDs are OK. | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weaving, measured as standard deviation of lateral position. |  | 1 h | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reaction time |  | 1 h | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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driving, opioids, impairment, ability, patients, receiving, oral morphine, severe