Depression drug Cymbalta eases chronic back pain

A drug used to treat depression has been found to also be effective in reducing chronic low back pain.

The drug Cymbalta is commonly used to treat depression, anxiety disorders, diabetic nerve pain and fibromyalgia but in a study by the manufacturer Eli Lilly it was also found to significantly reduce back pain in comparison with a placebo.

The new study involved 236 adults with chronic low back pain who were not suffering from depression.

Over a 13 week period they were given a daily dose of either Cymbalta or a placebo and the researchers found that 31% of patients receiving the drug experienced a 50% reduction in pain, compared with 19% of individuals in the placebo group.

Weekly pain scores, measured before taking Cymbalta or the placebo and again at the end of the study, showed greater improvement in the Cymbalta group.

According to the researchers a 60-120 milligram dose of Cymbalta produced the desired effects, but many discontinued the use of the drug due to adverse events, such as nausea, dry mouth, fatigue, diarrhea, excessive sweating, dizziness and constipation.

The study was presented in Madrid at the 12th Congress of the European Federation of the Neurological Sciences.