Combination of adrenergic agonist and aryl-cyclo-alkanolamine for relieving chronic pain without adverse side effects

摘要

This invention discloses that a combination of two drugs, from two different and unrelated categories, provides effective and long-lasting relief from neuropathic pain. Both drugs can be taken orally, in a convenient, painless, non-invasive manner that does not require injections. One drug is an aryl-cyclo-alkanolamine (ACAA) which has antagonist (receptor-blocking) activity at the NMDA subclass of glutamate receptors; such drugs include procyclidine, biperiden, and trihexyphenidyl. The other drug is an &agr;2 adrenergic agonist, exemplified by clonidine. When an ACAA drug which blocks NMDA receptors, such as procyclidine, is administered together with an &agr;2 adrenergic agonist such as clonidine, these drugs mutually potentiate one another's neuropathic pain-relieving action, and provide potent and sustained neuropathic pain relief, even when each agent is administered at a low dosage that is below its threshold for causing adverse side effects.