Antidepressants for chronic pain do not work for most people. A study in The BMJ tested eight common antidepressants. They gave moderate help in just 11 of 42 comparisons. They gave a clear, statistically significant benefit in only four. Interventional pain care, with pain injections and nerve blocks, offers another way.
Chronic pain is common, and it is still hard to treat. Many doctors prescribe antidepressants for it, even though there is little proof they help. A new study shows how well antidepressants really work for chronic pain. It also raises questions about the best path for patients who want relief.
Why is chronic pain so hard to treat?
Chronic pain has become a big concern in recent years. It affects people with low back pain, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia and more. Often, no one fully understands what causes it. Pain can last long after the problem that started it is gone. Researchers are still asking why some people get chronic pain and others do not. And they have made progress in understanding and treating it.
Which antidepressants help chronic pain, according to the research?
A recent study in The BMJ looked at eight common antidepressants for chronic pain. It covered 22 pain conditions and 42 separate comparisons. In 11 of the 42, the drugs seemed to help moderately. Clear, statistically significant gains showed up in only four. One group, SNRIs (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors), seemed to help a bit with back pain, nerve pain, pain after surgery and fibromyalgia. But they did not help much in 36 other kinds of pain.
Many studies cast doubt on these drugs for chronic pain. Yet doctors keep giving them out. Many pain guidelines even say to use them in adults who are not depressed.
What is the alternative to antidepressants for chronic pain?
Interventional pain management is a special field of medicine. It aims to give full, advanced care to help patients suffer less from chronic pain. It uses procedures, such as pain injections and nerve blocks, to find and treat the source of pain. The goal is to cut inflammation and pain.
Do you want relief from chronic pain? The Padda Institute Center for Interventional Pain Management offers a path that does not rely on these drugs. We use proven methods that target the pain itself. That lets us give each patient full care built around their own pain.
Frequently asked questions
Are antidepressants effective for managing chronic pain?
A recent study found antidepressants may give moderate relief for some chronic pain conditions. But they do not work for most chronic pain patients.
What is interventional pain management?
Interventional pain management is a special field of medicine. It aims to give full, advanced care to help patients suffer less from chronic pain. It uses procedures, such as pain injections and nerve blocks, to find and treat pain.
Can interventional pain management help patients who don’t respond to antidepressants?
Yes. When antidepressants or other usual treatments fail, interventional pain care offers other ways to ease pain. We use proven methods to give each patient full care built around their own pain.
Which antidepressant is best for chronic pain?
The BMJ review of eight common antidepressants points to one group: SNRIs (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors). They seemed to help a bit with back pain, nerve pain, pain after surgery and fibromyalgia. For most other kinds of pain, they did not help much. And no antidepressant helped most people with chronic pain.
Can antidepressants help pain if you are not depressed?
Many pain guidelines say to use antidepressants even in adults who are not depressed, and doctors keep giving them out. The proof is weaker than that habit suggests. Across 42 comparisons in 22 pain conditions, the BMJ review found moderate help in just 11. It found a statistically significant gain in only four. Interventional care with pain injections and nerve blocks is another route.
Conclusion
The new study raises big questions about the best path for patients who want relief from chronic pain. Antidepressants may help with some chronic pain conditions. But they do not work for most chronic pain patients.
If you want another way to ease pain, the Padda Institute Center for Interventional Pain Management offers full care using proven interventional methods. Are you or a loved one struggling with chronic pain? Do you want advanced care built around you? Contact us to learn more and see how we can help you suffer less.
Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP
