- In a new review and meta-analysis, researchers investigated whether antidepressants can treat chronic pain conditions.
- They found that antidepressants are largely ineffective in treating chronic pain.
- Further research is needed to understand how antidepressants may be used to treat chronic pain.
Chronic pain is defined as pain lasting or recurring for
Depression and pain conditions share several neural pathways. Estimates suggest that 35–45% of people with chronic pain experience depression.
Earlier this year, a meta-analysis of 26 studies found that antidepressants were effective in relieving pain in around 25% of cases. However, for the remaining 75% of cases, antidepressants were either inefficacious or data was inconclusive.
Understanding more about the potential of antidepressants for treating chronic pain could improve treatment options for the condition.
More recently, a Cochrane review published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews also assessed the efficacy of antidepressants in treating adults with chronic pain.
The review found that antidepressants are ineffective for long-term pain relief but that one drug — duloxetine — could provide short-term relief.
For the review, the researchers analyzed data from 176 studies including 28,664 participants who had fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain, or musculoskeletal pain.
In each of the studies included, patients were treated with an antidepressant or a comparator such
- a placebo
- another medication
- another antidepressant
- the same antidepressant at different doses
- psychotherapy.
Altogether, the researchers studied 25 different antidepressants, including:
The interventions lasted for an average of 10 weeks, and 72 of the studies were fully funded by pharmaceutical companies, while 32 did not report the source of their funding.
In the end, the researchers found no…
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