Common Back Pain Treatment Doesn't Actually Work, Study Finds - Gizmodo

A new review released Wednesday suggests that antidepressants on average provide little to no back pain relief, though they could have a modest benefit for osteoarthritis and sciatica.

Their review looked at data from 33 randomized and controlled clinical trials examining the use of antidepressants for chronic back pain as well as osteoarthritis of the hip and knees, including trials that hadn’t been included in previous reviews of the evidence, they wrote.

Altogether, the review found that the average pain reduction for SNRIs in treating lower back pain three months into treatment was only around five points.

For osteoarthritis, the average reduction from SNRIs was just under 10 points, so more likely to be a meaningful improvement.

Other evidence also suggested that tricyclic antidepressants, an older class of drug, had little effect on back pain, but that both tricyclic antidepressants and SNRIs might have a effect on treating pain from sciatica, a particular type of nerve pain that can affect the legs and back.

“Our findings show that antidepressants are largely ineffective for back pain, but may be beneficial for osteoarthritis and sciatica,” lead author Giovanni Ferreira, a researcher studying musculoskeletal Health at the University of Sydney in Australia, wrote in an email.