Abstract
The Authors report a clinical multicentre experience with antidepressant agents (trazodone and amitriptyline) in the treatment of chronic cancer pain with deafferentation component. Fortyfive patients were admitted to the study: 27 with oncological peripheral nerve lesions, 6 with post herpetic neuralgias, 10 with not oncological nerve lesions, 2 with central nervous lesions. Almost all of them were already being treated with NSAID associated with weak or strong opioids. A random double blind study was performed: 23 patients were treated with trazodone, 22 with amitryptiline. In the assessment of results, pain intensity, hours of sleep, hours standing and lying, side effects, mood, anxiety, weakness were all taken into consideration. The therapeutic analgesic efficacy of the two drugs proved to be similar.
Sommario
Gli Autori riportano uno studio clinico multicentrico sull'uso di farmaci antidepressivi (amitriptilina e trazodone) nel trattamento del dolore cronico da cancro con componente da deafferentazione. Quarantacinque pazienti hanno partecipato allo studio, 27 con lesioni nervose periferiche oncologiche, 6 con nevralgia postherpetica, 10 con lesioni nervose non oncologiche e 2 con lesioni nervose centrali.
Quasi tutti i pazienti erano già in trattamento con farmaci anti-infiammatori non steroidei associati a narcotici deboli o forti. È stato effettuato uno studio randomizzato in doppio cieco: 22 pazienti sono stati trattati con amitriptilina e 23 con trazodone. Nella valutazione dei risultati si è tenuto conto di: intensità del dolore, ore di sonno, ore passate in piedi o a letto, effetti collaterali, umore, ansietà, debolezza.
L'efficacia terapeutica analgesica dei due farmaci si è dimostrata sovrapponibile.
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Ventafridda, V., Bonezzi, C., Caraceni, A. et al. Antidepressants for cancer pain and other painful syndromes with deafferentation component: comparison of Amitriptyline and Trazodone. Ital J Neuro Sci 8, 579–587 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02333665
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02333665