Antidepressants for Pain Medication

13 October 2010

With the constant and consistent changes in healthcare, new medications are being offered on an ongoing basis. Studies have shown that some medications that are used for other purposes can have great benefits for chronic pain patients.

Antidepressants are now showing some success in treating pain for those suffering from chronic pain conditions. It is largely unknown exactly why antidepressants have effect on reliving pain, but a common and fairly accepted theory is that antidepressants affect the levels of serotonin and norepinephrine specifically and particularly in association with the nerves that can affect spinal pain receptors (Raj, 2008). Another benefit of prescribing antidepressants is that it helps with the depression often seen as a side effect of chronic pain.

According to Raj (2008), specific painful conditions that have shown marked success with the use of antidepressants include diabetic neuropathy and fibromyalgia. Diabetic neuropathy is a painful condition of the nerves that is due to damage caused by diabetes. There has been some success seen with the antidepressant duloxetine, known by brand name Cymbalta ®. Studies done on duloxetine, or Cymbalta ®, have shown that it is a wise choice for long-term prescription, as the side effects are mild to none, and the safety profile of the drug is favorable (Raj, 2008).

Fibromyalgia has shown some improvements in pain management. Tri-cyclic antidepressants (TCAs) have been prescribed in the past to patients suffering from fibromyalgia, but the side effects are often undesirable to patients, and so the course of treatment is often stopped. A medication that has been successful, however, is duloxetine which is also known by the brand name of Cymbalta ®. In many studies and physician observances, duloxetine has not only shown to be effective when prescribed to alleviate pain, but also has shown to relieve or at least lessen some of the other symptoms associated with fibromyalgia. Duloxetine or Cymbalta ® when prescribed for fibromyalgia has been seen to relieve associated stiffness and tenderness and, when taken as directed, patients experience more “good days,” and fewer “fibro flares,” or flare-ups of their painful symptoms.

Ongoing studies are consistently being performed to determine the efficacy of using antidepressants for chronic pain syndromes, but it should be noted that antidepressants and in some cases, duloxetine or Cymbalta ® in particular have been very successful in helping patients with symptoms and pain associated with these painful conditions.

Raj, (2008) Raj’s Practical Management of Pain.415. (Benzon, Rathmell, Wu, Turk, Argoff Eds.)Philadelphia: Mosby Elsevier

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