Pharmacotherapeutic Options for Managing Neuropathic Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Table 1

Randomized, double-blind, controlled trials testing the effect of antidepressants.

Study	Active drug	Control	Sample size	NP condition	Outcome measure	Pain outcome	Adverse events
Majdinasab et al. [6]	Duloxetine 60 mg	Gabapentin 900 mg	104	DPN	0–100 VAS	Positive with both drugs	Anxiety (2%) and sleeplessness (2%)
Farshchian et al. [7]	Venlafaxine 37.5 mg; duloxetine 30 mg	Placebo	156	CIPN	0–3 neuropathic pain grade	Positive	Venlafaxine: nausea (12%), constipation (7%), and insomnia (7%); duloxetine: dizziness (11%), fatigue (10%), and headache (4%)
Brown et al. [8]	Amitriptyline 10 mg	Gabapentin 900 mg	34	Different NP conditions	0–10 CAS score	Positive with both drugs	Not reported
Richards et al. [9]	Venlafaxine XR 75–225 mg	Placebo	123	SCI	0–10 NRS	Negative	Not reported
Holbech et al. [10]	Imipramine 75 mg	Placebo	69	Painful polyneuropathy	0–10 NRS	Positive	Dizziness (10%), sweating (20%) dry mouth (22%), and paraesthesia (10%)

NP: neuropathic pain; DPN: diabetic painful neuropathy; CIPN: chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy; SCI: spinal cord injury; NRS: numerical rating scale; CAS: colour analogue scale; VAS: visual analogue scale.