Antidepressants Help Many Recover Following Surgery

First Posted: Aug 31, 2014 11:18 PM EDT
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Dealing with pain or depression following a surgical procedure can be difficult. Now, researchers at the Department of Anesthesiology at Kingston General Hospital in Canada have found that certain antidepressants can provide relief for some patients.

"For the past 50 years, it's been observed that antidepressants for other chronic pain conditions relieve pain independently of their effect on depression," said lead study author Dr. Ian Gilron, a professor and director of clinical pain research in the Department of Anesthesiology, who also works as an attending anesthesiologist at Kingston General Hospital (KGH), in a news release. "Even with the best available medicines, there are still many people who experience postoperative pain. Reviewing the use of antidepressants to manage this pain was definitely an opportunity to be seized."

For the study, researchers looked to see if antidepressants held similar effects on postoperative pain such as painkillers, opioids and anesthetics. They examined 1,350 records based on patients' pain during movement and at rest, along with any side effects experienced from taking antidepressants.

Findings revealed that over 50 percent of the participants experienced improvements in pain levels after taking antidepressants.

"We can conclude from this research review that, while it's premature to formally recommend these drugs be prescribed for pain, more definitive studies on these medications are necessary," Dr. Gilron finished. 

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Anesthesiology.

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