The number of ex-
leprosy patients has reduced rapidly who were forced to be admitted under
leprosy prevention/segregation law and are staying at national sanatoriums with different disabilities due to different physical and social reasons for long time in Japan. Most of them have been of clinically cured status for decades after effective
chemotherapy. Some have still been suffering from acute or chronic neuralgic pains which are supposed to be long standing consequences of nerve damage of
leprosy and getting medications for long period. Pharmacy department of National Suruga Sanatorium has studied the amount of prescriptions of some medicines for last 11 years, which were thought to be prescribed for
pain including neuralgic
pain. There seem to be some tendencies of medications during last decade. VitaminB12 (Mecobalamine) is one of the commonest drugs for neuralgic
pain at this sanatorium and the amount of prescription had almost been unchanged through the years. Prescription of non-
steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (
NSAIDs) increased year by year, which may reflect the increasing age of ex-patients who need more
pain killers for their painful joints or back.
Loxoprofen is the most popular
pain killer here and increased by ten times for last decade. The number of prescription for
Pentazocine and
Hydroxyzine Hydrochloride injection increased for last several years, which reflects a few patients who were still suffering from severe chronic
neuralgia for years. It is desirable that a standard regimen for chronic neuralgic
pain as a consequence of nerve impairment in
leprosy will be developed as soon as possible.