Depression Drugs for Nerve Pain

Nerve pain (neuropathy) can be intense and disabling. It begins as numbness and tingling but progresses to burning or stabbing pain. Many people don't obtain pain relief from traditional analgesics. Depression drugs are sometimes used to relieve symptoms of nerve pain.

The Facts

• Symptoms of neuropathy include loss of sensation and a higher perception of pain. Antidepressants interact with chemicals that are significant in the perception of pain, but not all antidepressants are effective in providing neuropathic pain relief.

Tricyclic Antidepressants

• The most common depression drugs prescribed for nerve pain are the tricyclic antidepressants. They work by blocking the mechanisms that cause you to feel pain. Examples of tricyclic antidepressants are amytriptilline and duloxetine.

Other Antidepressants

• Trycyclic antidepressants tend to be more effective in treating nerve pain than other types of antidepressants. Other choices include SSRIs such as citalopram (Celexa) and fluoxetine (Prozac) and SNRIs such as duloxetine (Cymbalta) and venlafaxine (Effexor). Your doctor may prescribe this type of antidepressant to relieve nerve pain if a tricyclic antidepressant didn't work for you.

Considerations

• Antidepressants are usually started at a very low dose and gradually increased. You may have to take medication for a few weeks before you feel any pain relief.

Finding the Right Medication

• Finding a medication that works to control your nerve pain usually requires trial and error. Your doctor may recommend a combination of medications. Use the lowest dose possible to reduce side effects.