Peer Reviewed
Perspectives

Use of antidepressants in chronic pain

Peter M Herriot
Abstract

Many antidepressants have analgesic effects independent of their antidepressant effects and can be effective analgesics even in patients without concurrent depression. They should be prescribed in a systematic manner and with care to avoid drug interactions.

Key Points
    • Antidepressant medications have an important role in the treatment of chronic pain.
    • The analgesic effects of antidepressant medications are independent of their antidepressant effect; they can therefore be prescribed for chronic pain syndromes even in the absence of comorbid depression.
    • Tricyclic antidepressants and serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors are generally the antidepressants of choice when treating patients with chronic pain.
    • It is important that both prescribers and patients are clear about the indication for prescribing and the symptoms being targeted.

      Picture credit: © SPL/Animated Healthcare Ltd

Get full access
Subscribe for full access to all articles
Buy this article

Single article purchases are temporarily unavailable due to site maintenance.

If you would like to purchase an article during this time, please email us at [email protected] with the article details and we'll assist you directly. We'll also let you know when online purchasing is available again.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Already a subscriber?