New Study Highlights Antidepressant Use for Back Pain and Sleep Problems

August 3, 2009
by: Sylvia Marten

Since insomnia and depression may often occur in conjunction with chronic pain, low doses of sedating antidepressants may be prescribed to help patients sleep and receive some pain relief.

With this in mind, a recent study details the prevalent use of antidepressants in the United States, especially for patients with back pain and sleeping problems.

According to a study of nearly 50,000 children and adults in the Archives of General Psychiatry, the number of Americans using antidepressants doubled in the last decade, to approximately 27 million in 2005 (the last year in which data was available).

Especially interesting is the finding that half of those 27 million people used antidepressants for back pain, nerve pain, fatigue, insomnia and other problems as opposed to depression. Also worth noting is that 80 percent of patients were treated by doctors rather than psychiatrists.

A USA Today story notes how doctors have become more comfortable prescribing antidepressants for back pain and sleep problems since newer drugs are much safer and have fewer side effects.

As just a few examples, doctors may prescribe antidepressants like Escitalopram (Lexapro), Duloxetine (Cymbalta), Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq), Trazodone (Desyrel), Amitriptyline (Elavil) and Doxepin (Sinequan) for sleeping problems because they are non-addictive, have low side effects, and include pain relieving properties that are absent in their predecessors, the hypnotic class of medications.

However, to some medical professionals in the story, the use of antidepressants is a bit alarming and at least warrants more mental health training for doctors.

As just one example that raises some concern, the new study notes how the percentage of children using antidepressants rose from 1.4 percent in 1996 to 2.6 percent in 2005. The USA Today story added that antidepressant use by children did drop 10 percent in 2005 following an FDA “black box” warning from the year before about the suicidal risks in children using antidepressants.

Important Considerations with Antidepressants and Pain Medications

Whether or not Americans have become too dependent on antidepressants and other pills is subject to debate; what must be noted is that any patient who plans on taking antidepressants for depression, chronic back pain, insomnia or other problems should be fully aware of the side effects involved and only do so under the guidance of a trusted medical professional.

Learn more about depression and insomnia stemming from chronic pain, and examine other methods besides antidepressants to address such problems, in the following resources:

• Chronic Pain and Depression
• Definitive Depression Guide
• Antidepressants as Sleep Aids
• Chronic Pain and Insomnia: Breaking the Cycle
• Chronic Pain Management
• 11 Chronic Pain Control Techniques.