lipflip – Effective pain and symptom management is essential for improving quality of life in adults living with cerebral palsy. However, recent findings show that many physicians prescribe medications that fail to address the root cause of symptoms in adults with cerebral palsy. This mismatch in treatment often results in patients receiving drugs that may not help—or could even harm—their overall health.
According to Dr. Mark Peterson, a professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at University of Michigan Health. This issue stems from a lack of precision in matching treatment strategies with specific pain phenotypes and co-occurring neurodevelopmental conditions. His team studied medication trends and found that many prescriptions did not correlate well with the actual symptoms patients reported.
As a result, some adults with cerebral palsy are at risk of taking unnecessary medications. That may lead to long-term complications. Dr. Peterson emphasizes the need for more tailored approaches that consider each individual’s neurological profile and pain experience to guide safer, more effective treatment plans.
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Common Cerebral Palsy Prescriptions Raise Concerns Over Accuracy and Safety
Dr. Mark Peterson at University of Michigan Health led a new analysis showing that clinicians often prescribe adults with cerebral palsy medications that do not directly address their symptoms. His team evaluated national prescribing patterns and found a heavy reliance on pharmaceuticals that may not align with the root causes of patients’ pain and discomfort.
The most frequently prescribed medications were antiepileptics, followed by antidepressants and benzodiazepines. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, opioids, antipsychotics, and muscle relaxants also ranked high on the list. Less commonly used were drugs targeting irritable bowel syndrome, clonidine, anticholinergics, and botulinum toxin A injections.
Surprisingly, only 41% of adults received physical or occupational therapy. Which are standard treatments for managing symptoms in children with cerebral palsy. This low percentage highlights a major disconnect between pediatric and adult care models.
Without comprehensive national data in the past. These prescription trends have gone largely unchecked, potentially increasing the risk of side effects and poor health outcomes.
Improper Pain Treatment Patterns Raise Risks For Adults
Dr. Mark Peterson and his team uncovered troubling patterns in how healthcare providers prescribe pain medications to adults with cerebral palsy. Their research revealed that healthcare providers significantly increased prescriptions for a wide range of medications to individuals with mixed pain phenotypes. In fact, 60% received muscle relaxants, while 80% were given non-operative opioids.
Peterson emphasized that many patients are being treated without proper identification of the pain’s origin, type, or severity. He underscored the need for healthcare providers to use appropriate screening tools to better assess the nature and distribution of pain in each patient.
He also raised concerns about potential links between opioid exposure and serious health complications common in cerebral palsy. Such as respiratory issues, psychiatric conditions, bowel dysfunction, and fall-related fractures.
To address this, Peterson’s team is developing detailed recommendations for pain treatment in adults with cerebral palsy. These efforts are part of a broader international initiative to create the first comprehensive clinical practice guidelines for adult CP care.