Efficacy of antidepressants as analgesics: a review.

Persistent pain disorders are usually not adequately alleviated by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or other simple analgesics. Use of antidepressants as adjuvant therapy for the control of persistent pain is currently being practiced in disorders such as fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain, rheumatoid conditions, low back pain, and headache. This review describes the various mechanisms of analgesic activity of antidepressants along with their efficacy and tolerability profiles.