Effect of Antidepressants on Back Pain

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2004-03-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether different types of antidepressant medicines relieve back pain that has lasted at least six months on a daily basis. Study participants will be assigned to treatment with either a antidepressant acting on the serotonin system in the brain (fluoxetine), one acting on the noradrenaline system (desipramine, or to a control medication not expected to relieve pain (benztropine). Each participant will be seen at least nine times during their 12 weeks on medication. This is a phase 2/3, outpatient study.

• Phase: Phase 2
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: US Department of Veterans Affairs; VA Office of Research and Development
• Treatments: Antidepressive Agents; Benztropine; Clomipramine; Desipramine; Fluoxetine

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Chronic back pain (pain on a daily basis for six months or longer)

• Age 18-65

• No major medical illness

Exclusion Criteria:

• medical contraindication to tricyclic antidepressants

• recent alcohol or substance use disorder

• bipolar disorder