Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 1999 Nov;83(2):137-45.
doi: 10.1016/s0304-3959(99)00082-2.

Effects of noradrenergic and serotonergic antidepressants on chronic low back pain intensity

J H Atkinson  1 , M A Slater, D R Wahlgren, R A Williams, S Zisook, S D Pruitt, J E Epping-Jordan, T L Patterson, I Grant, I Abramson, S R Garfin
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Effects of noradrenergic and serotonergic antidepressants on chronic low back pain intensity

J H Atkinson et al. Pain. 1999 Nov.

Abstract

To understand the relative efficacy of noradrenergic and serotonergic antidepressants as analgesics in chronic back pain without depression, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-control head-to-head comparison of maprotiline (a norepinephrine reuptake blocker) and paroxetine (a serotonin reuptake blocker) in 103 patients with chronic low back pain. Of these 74 completed the trial; of the 29 who did not complete, 19 were withdrawn because of adverse effects. The intervention consisted of an 8-week course of maprotiline (up to 150 mg daily) or paroxetine (up to 30 mg daily) or an active placebo, diphenhydramine hydrochloride (up to 37.5 mg daily). Patients were excluded for current major depression. Reduction in pain intensity (Descriptor Differential Scale scores) was significantly greater for study completers randomized to maprotiline compared to placebo (P=0.023), and to paroxetine (P=0.013), with a reduction of pain by 45% compared to 27% on placebo and 26% on paroxetine. These results suggest that at standard dosages noradrenergic agents may provide more effective analgesia in back pain than do selective serotonergic reuptake inhibitors.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources