ReviewDrugs2008
Antidepressants for the treatment of chronic pain.
Review in Drugs, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 51 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Efficacy of Duloxetine in Conjunction With Tramadol for Chronic Cancer Pain
Haloperidol for Pain Control in Patients With Acute Musculoskeletal Back Pain in the Emergency Department
Who cites it
51 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 217 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Antidepressants Are Effective in Decreasing Neuropathic Pain After SCI: A Meta-Analysis.Topics in spinal cord injury rehabilitation · 2015Pooled it
- Pharmacological interventions for somatoform disorders in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2014Pooled it
- The role of antidepressants in the management of fibromyalgia syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.CNS drugs · 2012Pooled it
- Bulking agents, antispasmodics and antidepressants for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2011Pooled it
- Citalopram provides little or no benefit in nondepressed patients with irritable bowel syndrome.Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association · 2010Trial
- Review of Structural Modification and Development of Novel Tramadol Derivatives.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Pharmacological Management of Cancer Pain: Advances in Treatment Strategies and Drug Delivery Systems.Pharmaceutics · 2025Review
- Potential influence of long-term medication on physical performance in the context of long-term rehabilitation process in soldiers: a retrospective cohort analysis.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2025Article
- The effect of duloxetine on postoperative pain and opium consumption in spine surgery: A systematic review.North American Spine Society journal · 2024Review
- Polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medicine use in older adults with cancer: a multicenter cross-sectional study in Northwest Ethiopia oncologic centers.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2024Article
- Evolving techniques for reducing phantom limb pain.Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.) · 2023Review
- Article
- Inhibition of N-type calcium ion channels by tricyclic antidepressants - experimental and theoretical justification for their use for neuropathic pain.RSC medicinal chemistry · 2022Article
- General anaesthesia in end-of-life care: extending the indications for anaesthesia beyond surgery.Anaesthesia · 2021Review
- Psychosocial Aspects of Cancer Pain.Cancer treatment and research · 2021Article
- Canadian Association of Gastroenterology Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology · 2019Article
- Placebos Are Part of the Solution, Not the Problem. An Exemplification of the Case of Antidepressants in Pediatric Chronic Pain Conditions.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2019Article
- Practical approach to a patient with chronic pain of uncertain etiology in primary care.Journal of pain research · 2019Article
- Phantom limb pain: a review of pharmacological management.British journal of pain · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Chronic pain represents one of the most important public health problems and, in addition to classical analgesics, antidepressants are an essential part of the therapeutic strategy. This article reviews available evidence on the efficacy and safety of antidepressants in major chronic pain conditions; namely, neuropathic pain, headaches, low back pain, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and cancer pain. Studies, reviews and meta-analyses published from 1991 to March 2008 were retrieved through MEDLINE, PsycINFO and the Cochrane database using numerous key words for pain and antidepressants. In summary, evidence supports the use of tricyclic antidepressants in neuropathic pain, headaches, low back pain, fibromyalgia and IBS. The efficacy of the newer serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors is less supported by evidence, but can be recommended in neuropathic pain, migraines and fibromyalgia. To date, evidence does not support an analgesic effect of serotonin reuptake inhibitors, but beneficial effects on well-being were reported in several chronic pain conditions. These results are discussed in the light of current insights in the neurobiology of pain, the reciprocal relationship between pain and depression, and future developments in this field of research.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.