Approximately two-thirds of patients with depression experience physical pain symptoms. Coexisting pain complicates the treatment of depression and is associated with worse depression outcomes.
Objective
The authors reviewed the effect of newer antidepressants on pain in patients with depression.
Method
The authors searched systematically for trials of second-generation antidepressants that enrolled depression patients and reported pain outcomes, pooling changes on the pain visual-analog scale (VAS), using random-effects models.
Results
Eight trials were eligible. Pooled analysis of head-to-head trials showed no difference in VAS between duloxetine and paroxetine. Both drugs were superior to placebo.
Conclusion
The authors found insufficient evidence to support the choice of one second-generation antidepressant over another in patients with pain accompanying depression.
