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Secretion of pituitary immunoreactive beta-endorphin is hypothesized to modulate the perception of pain. The present study examined this question by evaluating the effects of intravenous placebo or dexamethasone (0.1, 0.32, or 1.0 mg) on suppression of immunoreactive beta-endorphin secretion and development of postoperative pain after the surgical removal of impacted third molars in 48 patients. Compared with placebo, all doses of dexamethasone suppressed the postoperative increase in circulating levels of immunoreactive beta-endorphin. Patients administered 0.1 mg dexamethasone reported greater levels of pain, compared with those given placebo, from 60 through 120 minutes after surgery. Postoperative pain for the 0.32 and 1.0 mg doses did not differ from that for the placebo group. The increased pain after suppression of beta-endorphin release by the low dose of dexamethasone suggests that pituitary secretion of immunoreactive beta-endorphin alleviates postoperative pain under these conditions.
K M Hargreaves, and
E A Schmidt, and
G P Mueller, and
R A Dionne
March 1991,
Medicine and science in sports and exercise,
K M Hargreaves, and
E A Schmidt, and
G P Mueller, and
R A Dionne
January 2004,
Pain physician,
K M Hargreaves, and
E A Schmidt, and
G P Mueller, and
R A Dionne
January 1993,
Pharmacotherapy,
K M Hargreaves, and
E A Schmidt, and
G P Mueller, and
R A Dionne
October 1987,
Zhonghua yi xue za zhi = Chinese medical journal; Free China ed,
K M Hargreaves, and
E A Schmidt, and
G P Mueller, and
R A Dionne
February 1987,
The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science,
K M Hargreaves, and
E A Schmidt, and
G P Mueller, and
R A Dionne
August 1987,
Brain research,
K M Hargreaves, and
E A Schmidt, and
G P Mueller, and
R A Dionne
July 1988,
Surgery,
K M Hargreaves, and
E A Schmidt, and
G P Mueller, and
R A Dionne
August 1994,
Nihon rinsho. Japanese journal of clinical medicine,
K M Hargreaves, and
E A Schmidt, and
G P Mueller, and
R A Dionne
February 1986,
Agressologie: revue internationale de physio-biologie et de pharmacologie appliquees aux effets de l'agression,
K M Hargreaves, and
E A Schmidt, and
G P Mueller, and
R A Dionne
February 1985,
Journal of endocrinological investigation,
