Tricyclic Antidepressants for Neck Pain
Examples
|
| amitriptyline | Vanatrip |
| doxepin | Elavil, Zonalon |
| imipramine | Tofranil |
How It Works
Low doses of tricyclic antidepressant
medicines relieve pain and cause drowsiness. Higher doses increase the levels
of certain brain chemicals that improve your mood.
Why It Is Used
Low doses of tricyclic antidepressants
are used to relieve long-lasting (chronic)
neck pain. They also cause drowsiness, which may
improve sleep and relieve fatigue. In higher doses, antidepressants can help to
relieve symptoms of depression. Chronic pain can lead to depression.
How Well It Works
Using tricyclic antidepressants to
relieve neck pain is not well studied.1 Although
researchers are exploring whether and how well tricyclic antidepressants do
affect chronic pain, it is known that they can improve sleep. This may in turn
improve your ability to cope with pain.
Side Effects
Side effects vary among the different
tricyclic antidepressants. If you have severe side effects from one medicine,
try another.
Most side effects decrease over time. They may
include:
- Constipation.
- Dry
mouth.
- Blurred vision.
- Drowsiness.
- Low
blood pressure.
- Weight gain.
- Tremors and
sweating.
- Urinary retention.
- Increased appetite.
FDA Advisory. The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has issued an
advisory on antidepressant medicines and the risk of
suicide. The FDA does not recommend that people stop using these medicines.
Instead, a person taking antidepressants should be watched for
warning signs of suicide. This is especially important
at the beginning of treatment or when the doses are changed.
See
Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference is not
available in all systems.)
What To Think About
You may start to feel better within
1 to 3 weeks of taking antidepressant medicine. But it can take as many as 6 to
8 weeks to see more improvement. If you have questions or concerns about your
medicines, or if you do not notice any improvement by 3 weeks, talk to your
doctor.
These medicines are generally not prescribed for people
who have heart problems.
People with chronic pain and depression are often treated with a higher dosage of
tricyclic antidepressant than the dose used for chronic pain alone. They may
also use another type of antidepressant, a selective serotonin reuptake
inhibitor (SSRI). SSRIs include sertraline (Zoloft), fluoxetine (Prozac),
fluvoxamine (Luvox), and paroxetine (Paxil). For more information, see the
topic Chronic Pain.
Complete the new medication information form (PDF)(What is a PDF document?) to help you understand this medication.
References
Citations
- Binder A (2008). Neck pain, search date May 2007.
Online version of BMJ Clinical Evidence: http://www.clinicalevidence.com.
Credits
| By | Healthwise Staff |
|---|
| Primary Medical Reviewer | William H. Blahd, Jr., MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine |
|---|
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Robert B. Keller, MD - Orthopedics |
|---|
| Last Revised | August 2, 2010 |
|---|
Last Revised:
August 2, 2010
Binder A (2008). Neck pain, search date May 2007.
Online version of BMJ Clinical Evidence: http://www.clinicalevidence.com.
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