Pain relief by antidepressants: Possible modes of action
PainPublished 1 September 1985
Charlotte Feinmann
Citations239
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score2.02
SNIP1.87
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TL;DR
There is evidence that both tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors can relieve chronic pain, but recent studies suggest that this may be due to an analgesic rather than antidepressant effect.
Abstract
There is evidence that both tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors can relieve chronic pain. There are a number of possible mechanisms for this phenomenon, recent studies suggest that this may be due to an analgesic rather than antidepressant effect.
Keywords
MedicineNeuroscience
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