Re: Prozac / Chronic Pain

Jos…@athena.mit.edu writes:

|> FYI, in low doses, Prozac is a treatment for chronic pain.

Joshua,  

All anti-depressant medications (including Prozac) have been used as
treatment for chronic pain — chronic headaches, backpains, phantom pains,

Why these often work is thought that they break the pain cycle but the exact
mechanism is not understood.  

I went to a medical lecture recently where the professor said that if we had
just now discovered Prozac (and other antidepressants) it would have the
primary indication as an ANALGESIC and not as an anti-depressant.
Interesting.

Chris . . .

One Response to “Re: Prozac / Chronic Pain”

  1. admin says:

    In article <3683438525.18…@lamgnet.lamg.com> Ch…@lamg.com

    (Christopher Forest) writes:

       All anti-depressant medications (including Prozac) have been used as
       treatment for chronic pain — chronic headaches, backpains, phantom pains,

       Why these often work is thought that they break the pain cycle but the exact
       mechanism is not understood.  

    This is hardly surprising, seeing the important role mood plays in the
    perception of pain. Still, I think the use of anti-depressants to
    control pain is an abuse of medicine. There are other non-chemical
    means to treat chronic pain, such as meditation, that work well and
    are free of the side effects of anti-depressants.


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