Trial reportClinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association2010
Citalopram provides little or no benefit in nondepressed patients with irritable bowel syndrome.
Trial report in Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 3 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 94 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy and Safety of Antidepressants for the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis.PloS one · 2015Pooled it
- Irritable bowel syndrome.BMJ clinical evidence · 2012Pooled it
- Bulking agents, antispasmodics and antidepressants for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2011Pooled it
- A multidisciplinary approach to the management of disorders of gut-brain interaction: psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, and diet.Frontiers in gastroenterology (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Mind-Body Interventions for Comorbid Sleep and Gastrointestinal Concerns.Current sleep medicine reports · 2025Review
- Antidepressants for pain management in adults with chronic pain: a network meta-analysis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Review
- Feasibility, and barriers to use escitalopram in functional gastrointestinal disorders.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Article
- Neurotransmitter Dysfunction in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Emerging Approaches for Management.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Review
- Shortcomings of Trials Assessing Antidepressants in the Management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Critical Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2020Review
- Review
- Pharmacological Therapies and Their Clinical Targets in Irritable Bowel Syndrome With Diarrhea.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2020Review
- Potential neuro-immune therapeutic targets in irritable bowel syndrome.Therapeutic advances in gastroenterology · 2020Review
- Comparison of Laughter Yoga and Anti-Anxiety Medication on Anxiety and Gastrointestinal Symptoms of Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.Middle East journal of digestive diseases · 2019Article
- Second Asian Consensus on Irritable Bowel Syndrome.Journal of neurogastroenterology and motility · 2019Review
- The Role of Descending Pain Modulation in Chronic Primary Pain: Potential Application of Drugs Targeting Serotonergic System.Neural plasticity · 2019Review
- Antidepressants vs. Placebo for the Treatment of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2018Article
- Guidelines on the management of irritable bowel syndrome: In memory of Professor Witold Bartnik.Przeglad gastroenterologiczny · 2018Article
- Pharmacotherapy for Irritable Bowel Syndrome.Journal of clinical medicine · 2017Review
- Relationship between use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and irritable bowel syndrome: A population-based cohort study.World journal of gastroenterology · 2017Observational
- Pharmacological Approach for Managing Pain in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Review Article.Anesthesiology and pain medicine · 2017Review
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND &
aimsData on the benefit of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are conflicting. The longitudinal relationship between clinical symptoms and sensitivity to barostat-mediated rectal distension in IBS remains unclear. We assessed the benefit of citalopram and explored the relationships between symptoms, quality of life (QOL), and rectal sensitivity to barostat distension in non-depressed IBS patients.
methodsPatients from primary, secondary, and tertiary care settings were randomly assigned to receive citalopram (20 mg/day for 4 weeks, then 40 mg/day for 4 weeks) or placebo in a study with double-masking and concealed allocation. Symptoms were assessed weekly, and IBS-QOL and rectal sensation by barostat were assessed at the beginning and end of the study.
resultsPatients receiving citalopram did not achieve a higher rate of adequate relief of IBS symptoms than patients receiving placebo (12/27 [44%] vs 15/27 [56%]; P = .59), regardless of IBS subtype. The odds ratio for weekly response with citalopram vs placebo was 0.80 (95% confidence interval, 0.61-1.04). Improvements in specific symptom and IBS-QOL scores were not superior for citalopram. Changes in IBS-QOL score and pressure eliciting pain showed a modest correlation (r = 0.33; 95% confidence interval, 0.03-0.57), but changes in symptoms and IBS-QOL scores or rectal sensitivity were not correlated substantially.
conclusionsCitalopram was not superior to placebo in treating non-depressed IBS patients. Changes in symptoms were not substantially correlated with changes in rectal sensation assessed by barostat. Any benefit of citalopram in non-depressed IBS patients is likely to be modest at best.
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.