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Low Serotonin & Pain

Low serotonin and pain often go hand in hand. The National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC) reports individuals suffering serotonin-related depression commonly experience chronic pain. The NGC recommends the use of certain antidepressant medications to restore serotonin balance and alleviate both depression and chronic pain.

  1. Fibromyalgia

    • The "Journal of the American Medical Association" reports sufferers of fibromyalgia, a chronic pain disease, experienced marked pain relief while treated with tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants, which increase serotonin activity.

    Comorbidity

    • Chronic pain sufferers frequently experience other serotonin-related conditions including depression, anxiety, and insomnia. Pubmed.gov reports 66% of veterans studied for posttraumatic stress disorder, a condition related to low serotonin levels, also suffered from chronic pain.

    Anxiety

    • Research posted by the US National Institutes of Health shows anxiety, a condition commonly associated with low serotonin activity, increases the severity and occurance of chronic pain.

    Analgesia

    • "Annals of Internal Medicine" finds analgesia (pain suppression) results when low serotonin levels are increased.

    Treatment

    • Certain antidepressants can help relieve chronic pain by increasing serotonin activity and other neurotransmitters. The NGC recommends tricyclic antidepressants be used first and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors be added if necessary.

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