Researchers say ‘studies not good enough’ to know whether medications work or not for pain
“The fact that we don’t find evidence whether it works or not, is not the same as finding evidence that it doesn’t work,” she said. “We don’t know. The studies simply are not good enough.”
Among other drugs the trials included amitriptyline, a tricyclic antidepressant, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as fluoxetine and citalopram, and duloxetine – a serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor. Patients experiencing mental health conditions, such as depression, were excluded from most trials.
Only duloxetine – a drug with many industry sponsored trials – had enough evidence for the researchers to have even moderate confidence in their findings, with the drug found to have a small to moderate effect on substantial pain relief. The results also suggest a standard dose is as effective as higher doses.
“Aside from duloxetine and milnacipran, we don’t have any confidence in the results from any other antidepressant in this review,” said Dr Hollie Birkinshaw, another author of the study from the University of Southampton.
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