Effective treatments of pain for extended periods of time are provided.
Through the administration of an effective amount of clonidine at or near
a target site, one can relieve pain caused by diverse sources, including
but not limited to spinal disc herniation (i.e. sciatica),
spondilothesis, stenosis, discogenic back pain and joint pain, as well as
pain that is incidental to surgery. When appropriate formulations are
provided within biodegradable polymers, this relief can be continued for
at least three days. In some embodiments, the relief can be for at least
twenty-five days, at least fifty days, at least one hundred days, at
least one hundred and thirty-five days or at least one hundred and eighty
days.