Pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments for chronic pain in individuals with HIV: a systematic review

Chronic pain occurs in as many as 85% of individuals with HIV and is associated with substantial functional impairment. The only controlled studies with positive results were of capsaicin and cannabis, and had short-term follow-up (≤12 weeks). Among the seven studies of pharmacologic interventions, five had substantial pharmaceutical industry sponsorship. These findings highlight several important gaps in the HIV/chronic pain literature that require further research.