Unravelling the efficacy of antidepressants as analgesics

Chronic pain is a large and growing public health concern in Australia. Chronic pain is generally associated with physical, psychological, social and cultural risk factors.

Several antidepressants have been efficacious in the management of chronic pain. This article illustrates the use of antidepressants in major chronic neuropathic pain conditions.

Knowledge of psychopharmacology is important in the management of chronic pain. The majority of patients with chronic pain have comorbid psychiatric conditions ranging from mild anxiety, depression and adjustment problems, to severe delusional and psychotic disorders. Depression and anxiety are known to enhance the perception of pain. Not all antidepressants have independent analgesic properties. There is now a convincing body of controlled data, as well as extensive longstanding clinical experience, supporting tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) as analgesics independently of their antidepressant actions.