Evidence-based treatment paradigms for depressed patients with pain and physical symptoms

Some antidepressants may be efficacious in alleviating pain. While few studies have directly compared antidepressants for the treatment of painful physical symptoms, meta-analyses of efficacy studies have found that antidepressants that act at serotonergic and noradrenergic neurotransmitters, such as some tricyclics and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), may alleviate pain independently of their effects on mood. These dual-action agents have more consistently shown efficacy for pain than single-action agents.