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The Role of Antidepressants in the Treatment of Chronic Pain

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Treatment of Chronic Pain by Medical Approaches

Abstract

A number of antidepressants are essential for the treatment of chronic pain; these are referred to as the “pain-active” antidepressants. As a group, these agents manifest noradrenergic modulation. They have a number of advantages in this context: well-documented efficacy, mechanism or mechanisms of action that are complimentary to other agents used for persistent pain, distinctive and unique side effect profiles, excellent long-term tolerability, and a spectrum of cost-range options. Because the onset of action for the pain-active antidepressants can take days to weeks, these drugs are generally not appropriate for acute pain treatment with notable exceptions. It is because of their numerous advantages including efficacy and tolerability for long-term usage that antidepressants have become a staple of medical management of chronic pain.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Beth B. Murinson M.S., M.D., Ph.D.

  2. Department of Neurology, Clinical, Technion Faculty of Medicine, Haifa, Israel

    Beth B. Murinson M.S., M.D., Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Beth B. Murinson M.S., M.D., Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Beth B. Murinson M.S., M.D., Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. President and CEO, Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology, The Center for Pain Relief, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Charleston, West Virginia, USA

    Timothy R. Deer

  2. Clinic Chief, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Stanford Pain Medicine Center, Redwood City, CA, USA, and Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA

    Michael S. Leong

  3. Department of Anesthesiology, Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA

    Vitaly Gordin

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© 2015 American Academy of Pain Medicine

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Murinson, B.B. (2015). The Role of Antidepressants in the Treatment of Chronic Pain. In: Deer, T., Leong, M., Gordin, V. (eds) Treatment of Chronic Pain by Medical Approaches. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1818-8_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1818-8_4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-1817-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-1818-8

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