Table of contents:
- Potential antidepressant drugs to relieve low back pain
- What are the options?
- Even though it is effective, you should not use this drug carelessly
As the name suggests, antidepressant drugs are used to treat diseases or conditions related to the psychiatric illness. For example depression, anxiety disorders, and bipolar disorder. However, research reveals that this drug is also potentially good for people who experience frequent low back pain. How come? Come on, see the following explanation.
Potential antidepressant drugs to relieve low back pain
Doctors usually prescribe pain relievers such as ibuprofen, aspirin, or paracetamol to relieve back pain.
Well, a study conducted by a collaborative team of doctors in Australia and the Netherlands found that low back pain can also be treated using antidepressant drugs. The use of this drug is also considered safer than the opium (opiate) class of drugs.
However, the efficacy of antidepressants for back pain is only for the short term, which is about 6 months. Moreover, the effectiveness of medicinal substances to relieve pain will decrease.
Researchers don't know exactly how depressant drugs can relieve pain. However, they believe that antidepressant drugs work to affect chemical processes in the brain, spinal cord, and neurotransmitters that play a role in sending pain signals to the brain.
Another possibility is that antidepressants reduce levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, which can usually make pain worse.
What are the options?
There are several antidepressant drugs that doctors can prescribe to treat back pain problems, including:
- Tricyclic antidepressants. It is the most common antidepressant obtained for pain management and can promote bad mood. This drug content affects two chemicals in the brain, namely serotonin and norepinephrine.
- Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI). This antidepressant drug also affects serotonin and norepinephrine. However, only duloxetine is approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States (FDA) as a pain reliever.
- Bupropion.These drugs affect norepinephrine and dopamine, which play a role in regulating behavior, thinking ability, and pleasure.
Even though it is effective, you should not use this drug carelessly
You should not use antidepressant drugs to relieve low back pain without a green light from a doctor.
This medication is more likely to be prescribed for people with psychiatric problems and other medical conditions that cause painful symptoms in the body, such as rheumatism or fibromyalgia.
You need to know that unnecessary use of antidepressants can cause side effects, such as dry mouth, blurred vision, sweating, ringing in the ears, etc.
If your mental condition is not problematic, the doctor will certainly suggest treatment according to the cause which is much safer.
Apart from taking medication, there are several ways to reduce the pain and prevent it from recurring, such as:
- You can apply an ice pack to the sore back area. This treatment can be done on the first and second day when the pain appears. On the third day, replace the compress with warm water for 20 minutes.
- Try to keep your body active. Back pain can occur due to strained muscles from sitting too long. So, make sure that you do simple stretches every half hour. Don't forget to exercise regularly.
- Improve posture when sitting, standing, or lifting heavy objects so that the pressure on the back muscles is not too great and stresses the muscles.
- Excess weight can increase stress on muscles and bones. So, start to adjust your diet to be better and follow a diet so that your weight is under control.
