Anti-nociceptive effects of antidepressant and anticonvulsant drugs in the treatment of acute pain in mice

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International Journal of Development Research

Anti-nociceptive effects of antidepressant and anticonvulsant drugs in the treatment of acute pain in mice

Abstract: 

Chronic use of non-steroidalanti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids are associated with gastric ulceration and drug dependence respectively. In previous studies some antidepressants and anticonvulsants showed clinical effectiveness in the treatment of neuropathic and chronic pain. However, no scientific evidence is available showing effectiveness of antidepressants and anticonvulsant drugs in acute pain.  In some cases, where patients are at risk of NSAIDs or opioid associated adverse effects, acute pain is difficult to manage by these agents. Therefore, the purpose of current study was to compare the analgesic effects of specific serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), specific norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), tricyclic antidepressents (TCA) and anticonvulsant drug lamotrigine. Animals were divided in groups (n=5). Control animals were administered water, positive control group was treated with paracetamol or ibuprofen. Visceral pain was induced by intra peritoneal (IP) injection of 2% acetic-acid or two phasic pain was induced (central and peripheral pain) by5% formalin IP and thermal stimuli like hot plate test (central sensitization) for the assessment of analgesic effects in mice. Results showed that citalopram, duloxetine, amitriptyline, fluvoxamine and lamotrigine were effective in reducing pain significantly in all test groups and analgesic effectiveness was comparable with positive control. In conclusion, citalopram, duloxetine, amitriptyline, fluvoxamine and lamotrigine possess significant potential to produce analgesia in acute nociceptive pain, and may be used as analgesic in acute pain conditions where NSAIDs treatments are not recommended.

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