CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 293Pain Mechanisms and TreatmentsFibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ResearchPain Management and Treatment

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 8 of the 8 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Amitriptyline for neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia in adults

Moore, R Andrew, Derry, Sheena, Aldington, Dominic, Cole, Peter, Wiffen, Philip J·2012·Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
DOI 10.1002/14651858.cd008242.pub2
Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

Background Amitriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant that is widely used to treat chronic neuropathic pain (pain due to nerve damage) and fibromyalgia, and is recommended in many guidelines. These types of pain can be treated with antidepressant drugs in doses below those at which the drugs act as antidepressants. Objectives To assess the analgesic efficacy of amitriptyline for chronic neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia.To assess the adverse events associated with the clinical use of amitriptyline for chronic neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia. Search methods We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, and EMBASE to September 2012, together with reference lists of retrieved papers, previous systematic reviews, and other reviews; we also used our own handsearched database for older studies. Selection criteria We included randomised, double-blind studies of at least four weeks' duration comparing amitriptyline with placebo or another active treatment in chronic neuropathic pain or fibromyalgia. Data collection and analysis We extracted efficacy and adverse event data, and two study authors examined issues of study quality independently. We performed analysis using two tiers of evidence. The first tier used data meeting current best standards, where studies reported the outcome of at least 50% pain intensity reduction over baseline (or its equivalent), without the use of last observation carried forward (LOCF) or other imputation method for dropouts, reported an intention-to-treat (ITT) analy…

Overview

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1002/14651858.cd008242.pub2

Cites

8 of 8 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Citations

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 94

  1. Biesbroeck, 1995, A double-blind comparison of topical capsaicin and oral amitriptyline in painful diabetic neuropathy, Advances in Therapy, 12, 111
  2. Cardenas, 2002, Efficacy of amitriptyline for relief of pain in spinal cord injury: results of a randomized controlled trial, Pain, 96, 365, 10.1016/S0304-3959(01)00483-3 · DOI
  3. Turner, 2002, Blinding effectiveness and association of pretreatment expectations with pain improvement in a double-blind randomized controlled trial, Pain, 99, 91, 10.1016/S0304-3959(02)00060-X · DOI
  4. Carette, 1986, Evaluation of amitriptyline in primary fibrositis. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study, Arthritis and Rheumatism, 29, 655, 10.1002/art.1780290510 · DOI
  5. Carette, 1994, Comparison of amitriptyline, cyclobenzaprine, and placebo in the treatment of fibromyalgia. A randomized, double-blind clinical trial, Arthritis and Rheumatism, 37, 32, 10.1002/art.1780370106 · DOI
  6. Carette, 1995, Sleep electroencephalography and the clinical response to amitriptyline in patients with fibromyalgia, Arthritis and Rheumatism, 38, 1211, 10.1002/art.1780380906 · DOI
  7. Ginsberg, 1996, A randomized placebo-controlled trial of sustained-release amitriptyline in fibromyalgia, Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain, 4, 37, 10.1300/J094v04n03_05 · DOI
  8. Goldenberg, 1986, A randomized, controlled trial of amitriptyline and naproxen in the treatment of patients with fibromyalgia, Arthritis and Rheumatism, 29, 1371, 10.1002/art.1780291110 · DOI
  9. Goldenberg, 1996, A randomized, double-blind crossover trial of fluoxetine and amitriptyline in the treatment of fibromyalgia, Arthritis and Rheumatism, 39, 1852, 10.1002/art.1780391111 · DOI
  10. Graff-Radford, 2000, Amitriptyline and fluphenazine in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia, Clinical Journal of Pain, 16, 188, 10.1097/00002508-200009000-00002 · DOI
  11. Hannonen, 1998, A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of moclobemide and amitriptyline in the treatment of fibromyalgia in females without psychiatric disorder, British Journal of Rheumatology, 37, 1279, 10.1093/rheumatology/37.12.1279 · DOI · Paper page
  12. Jose, 2007, Randomized double-blind study comparing the efficacy and safety of lamotrigine and amitriptyline in painful diabetic neuropathy, Diabetic Medicine, 24, 377, 10.1111/j.1464-5491.2007.02093.x · DOI
  13. Kautio, 2008, Amitriptyline in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced neuropathic symptoms, Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 35, 31, 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2007.02.043 · DOI
  14. Leijon, 1989, Central post-stroke pain - a controlled trial of amitriptyline and carbamazepine, Pain, 36, 27, 10.1016/0304-3959(89)90108-5 · DOI
  15. Max, 1988, Amitriptyline, but not lorazepam, relieves postherpetic neuralgia, Neurology, 38, 1427, 10.1212/WNL.38.9.1427 · DOI
  16. Max, 1992, Effects of desipramine, amitriptyline, and fluoxetine on pain in diabetic neuropathy, New England Journal of Medicine, 326, 1250, 10.1056/NEJM199205073261904 · DOI
  17. Rintala, 2007, Comparison of the effectiveness of amitriptyline and gabapentin on chronic neuropathic pain in persons with spinal cord injury, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 88, 1547, 10.1016/j.apmr.2007.07.038 · DOI
  18. Rowbotham, 2005, Treatment response in antidepressant-naïve postherpetic neuralgia patients: double-blind, randomized trial, Journal of Pain, 6, 741, 10.1016/j.jpain.2005.07.001 · DOI
  19. Shlay, 1998, Acupuncture and amitriptyline for pain due to HIV-related peripheral neuropathy: a randomized controlled trial. Terry Beirn Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS, JAMA, 280, 1590, 10.1001/jama.280.18.1590 · DOI
  20. Vrethem, 1997, A comparison a amitriptyline and maprotiline in the treatment of painful polyneuropathy in diabetics and nondiabetics, Clinical Journal of Pain, 13, 313, 10.1097/00002508-199712000-00009 · DOI
  21. Watson, 1992, Amitriptyline versus maprotiline in postherpetic neuralgia: a randomized, double-blind, crossover trial, Pain, 48, 29, 10.1016/0304-3959(92)90128-X · DOI
  22. Watson, 1998, Nortriptyline versus amitriptyline in postherpetic neuralgia: a randomized trial, Neurology, 51, 1166, 10.1212/WNL.51.4.1166 · DOI
  23. Achar, 2010, Comparative study of clinical efficacy with amitriptyline, pregabalin, and amitriptyline plus pregabalin combination in postherpetic neuralgia, Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, 76, 63, 10.4103/0378-6323.58686 · DOI
  24. Bansal, 2009, Amitriptyline vs. pregabalin in painful diabetic neuropathy: a randomized double blind clinical trial, Diabetic Medicine, 26, 1019, 10.1111/j.1464-5491.2009.02806.x · DOI
  25. Bowsher, 1997, The effects of pre-emptive treatment of postherpetic neuralgia with amitriptyline: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 13, 327, 10.1016/S0885-3924(97)00077-8 · DOI
  26. Carasso, 1979, Clomipramine and amitriptyline in the treatment of severe pain, International Journal of Neuroscience, 9, 191, 10.3109/00207457909147672 · DOI
  27. Fors, 2002, The effect of guided imagery and amitriptyline on daily fibromyalgia pain: a prospective, randomized, controlled trial, Journal of Psychiatric Research, 36, 179, 10.1016/S0022-3956(02)00003-1 · DOI
  28. Hampf, 1989, Distigmine and amitriptyline in the treatment of chronic pain, Anesthesia Progress, 36, 58
  29. Heymann, 2001, A double-blind, randomized, controlled study of amitriptyline, nortriptyline and placebo in patients with fibromyalgia. An analysis of outcome measures, Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology, 19, 697
  30. Isomeri, 1993, Effects of amitriptyline and cardiovascular fitness training on pain in patients with primary fibromyalgia, Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain, 1, 253, 10.1300/J094v01n03_27 · DOI
  31. Jaeschke, 1991, Clinical usefulness of amitriptyline in fibromyalgia: the results of 23 N-of-1 randomized controlled trials, Journal of Rheumatology, 18, 447
  32. Kalso, 1996, Amitriptyline effectively relieves neuropathic pain following treatment of breast cancer, Pain, 64, 293, 10.1016/0304-3959(95)00138-7 · DOI
  33. Kaur, 2011, A comparative evaluation of amitriptyline and duloxetine in painful diabetic neuropathy: a randomized, double-blind, cross-over clinical trial, Diabetes Care, 34, 818, 10.2337/dc10-1793 · DOI
  34. Kautio, 2009, Amitriptyline in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced neuropathic symptoms, Anticancer Research, 29, 2601
  35. Kempenaers, 1994, Effect of an antidiencephalon immune serum on pain and sleep in primary fibromyalgia, Neuropsychobiology, 30, 66, 10.1159/000119138 · DOI
  36. Kieburtz, 1998, A randomized trial of amitriptyline and mexiletine for painful neuropathy in HIV infection. AIDS Clinical Trial Group 242 Protocol Team, Neurology, 51, 1682, 10.1212/WNL.51.6.1682 · DOI
  37. Lampl, 2002, Amitriptyline in the prophylaxis of central poststroke pain. Preliminary results of 39 patients in a placebo-controlled, long-term study, Stroke, 33, 3030, 10.1161/01.STR.0000037674.95228.86 · DOI
  38. Max, 1987, Amitriptyline relieves diabetic neuropathy pain in patients with normal or depressed mood, Neurology, 37, 589, 10.1212/WNL.37.4.589 · DOI
  39. McQuay, 1992, Low dose amitriptyline in the treatment of chronic pain, Anaesthesia, 47, 646, 10.1111/j.1365-2044.1992.tb02383.x · DOI
  40. McQuay, 1993, Dose-response for analgesic effect of amitriptyline in chronic pain, Anaesthesia, 48, 281, 10.1111/j.1365-2044.1993.tb06943.x · DOI
  41. Mendel, 1986, A trial of amitriptyline and fluphenazine in the treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy, JAMA, 255, 637, 10.1001/jama.1986.03370050079025 · DOI
  42. Mercadante, 2002, Amitriptyline in neuropathic cancer pain in patients on morphine therapy: a randomized placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover study, Tumori, 88, 239, 10.1177/030089160208800310 · DOI · Paper page
  43. Morello, 1999, Randomized double-blind study comparing the efficacy of gabapentin with amitriptyline on diabetic peripheral neuropathy pain, Archives of Internal Medicine, 159, 1931, 10.1001/archinte.159.16.1931 · DOI
  44. Özerbil, 2006, Comparison of the effects of two antidepressants on exercise performance of the female patients with fibromyalgia, Clinical Rheumatology, 25, 495, 10.1007/s10067-005-0076-2 · DOI
  45. Pilowsky, 1982, A controlled study of amitriptyline in the treatment of chronic pain, Pain, 14, 169, 10.1016/0304-3959(82)90097-5 · DOI
  46. Pilowsky, 1990, A controlled study of psychotherapy and amitriptyline used individually and in combination in the treatment of chronic intractable, 'psychogenic' pain, Pain, 40, 3, 10.1016/0304-3959(90)91045-K · DOI
  47. Robinson, 2004, Trial of amitriptyline for relief of pain in amputees: results of a randomized controlled study, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 85, 1, 10.1016/S0003-9993(03)00476-3 · DOI
  48. Scudds, 1989, Improvements in pain responsiveness in patients with fibrositis after successful treatment with amitriptyline, Journal of Rheumatology Supplement, 19, 98
  49. Sharav, 1987, The analgesic effect of amitriptyline on chronic facial pain, Pain, 31, 199, 10.1016/0304-3959(87)90036-4 · DOI
  50. Turkington, 1980, Depression masquerading as diabetic neuropathy, JAMA, 243, 1147, 10.1001/jama.1980.03300370021019 · DOI
  51. Ventafridda, 1987, Antidepressants for cancer pain and other painful syndromes with deafferentation component: comparison of amitriptyline and trazodone, Italian Journal of Neurological Sciences, 8, 579, 10.1007/BF02333665 · DOI
  52. Ventafridda, 1988, Trazodone for deafferentation pain. Comparison with amitriptyline, Psychopharmacology (Berl), 95 Suppl, S44, 10.1007/BF00172630 · DOI
  53. Watson, 1982, Amitriptyline versus placebo in postherpetic neuralgia, Neurology, 32, 671, 10.1212/WNL.32.6.671 · DOI
  54. Wilder-Smith, 2005, Postamputation pain and sensory changes in treatment-naive patients: characteristics and responses to treatment with tramadol, amitriptyline, and placebo, Anesthesiology, 103, 619, 10.1097/00000542-200509000-00027 · DOI
  55. Zitman, 1990, Low dose amitriptyline in chronic pain: the gain is modest, Pain, 42, 35, 10.1016/0304-3959(90)91089-2 · DOI
  56. Zitman, 1991, Does addition of low-dose flupentixol enhance the analgetic effects of low-dose amitriptyline in somatoform pain disorder?, Pain, 47, 25, 10.1016/0304-3959(91)90007-K · DOI
  57. Ҫapaci, 2002, Comparison of the effects of amitriptyline and paroxetine in the treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome, The Pain Clinic, 14, 223, 10.1163/156856902320761423 · DOI
  58. Ataoglu, 1997, Comparison of paroxetine, amitriptyline in the treatment of fibromyalgia, Turkish Journal of Medical Science, 27, 535, 10.55730/1300-0144.5001 · DOI
  59. Jang, 2010, Combination of acupuncture, cupping and medicine for treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome: a multi-central randomized controlled trial, Zhongguo Zhen Jiu [Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion], 30, 265
  60. Keskinbora, 2006, Comparison of efficacy of gabapentin and amitriptyline in the management of peripheral neuropathic pain, Agri (Algoloji) Dernegi'nin Yayin organidir, 18, 34
  61. Bril, 2011, Evidence-based guideline: Treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy: report of the American Academy of Neurology, the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine, and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, PM&R, 3, 345, 10.1016/j.pmrj.2011.03.008 · DOI
  62. Collins, 2000, Antidepressants and anticonvulsants for diabetic neuropathy and postherpetic neuralgia: a quantitative systematic review, Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 20, 449, 10.1016/S0885-3924(00)00218-9 · DOI
  63. Derry, 2009, Topical capsaicin for chronic neuropathic pain in adults, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 10.1002/14651858.CD007393.pub2 · DOI
  64. Finnerup, 2005, Algorithm for neuropathic pain treatment: an evidence based proposal, Pain, 5, 289, 10.1016/j.pain.2005.08.013 · DOI
  65. Gustorff, 2008, Prevalence of self-reported neuropathic pain and impact on quality of life: a prospective representative survey, Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica, 52, 132, 10.1111/j.1399-6576.2007.01486.x · DOI
  66. Hall, 2006, Epidemiology and treatment of neuropathic pain: the UK primary care perspective, Pain, 122, 156, 10.1016/j.pain.2006.01.030 · DOI
  67. Hempenstall, 2005, Analgesic therapy in postherpetic neuralgia: a quantitative systematic review, PLoS Medicine, 2, e164, 10.1371/journal.pmed.0020164 · DOI
  68. Jadad, 1996, Developing a database of published reports of randomised clinical trials in pain research, Pain, 66, 239, 10.1016/0304-3959(96)03033-3 · DOI · Paper page
  69. Lunn, 2009, Duloxetine for treating painful neuropathy or chronic pain, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 10.1002/14651858.CD007115.pub2 · DOI
  70. McQuay, 1998, An Evidence-based Resource for Pain Relief
  71. McQuay, 2007, Chronic pain, 519
  72. Moore, 1998, Size is everything - large amounts of information are needed to overcome random effects in estimating direction and magnitude of treatment effects, Pain, 78, 209, 10.1016/S0304-3959(98)00140-7 · DOI
  73. Moore, 2005, Acute pain: individual patient meta-analysis shows the impact of different ways of analysing and presenting results, Pain, 116, 322, 10.1016/j.pain.2005.05.001 · DOI
  74. Moore, 2008, Managing potential publication bias, 15
  75. Moore, 2008, Pregabalin for acute and chronic pain in adults, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
  76. Moore, 2010, ACTINPAIN Writing Group of the IASP Special Interest Group on Systematic Reviews in Pain Relief, Cochrane Pain, Palliative and Supportive Care Systematic Review Group Editors. "Evidence" in chronic pain--establishing best practice in the reporting of systematic reviews, Pain, 150, 386, 10.1016/j.pain.2010.05.011 · DOI · Paper page
  77. Moore, 2010, Fibromyalgia: moderate and substantial pain intensity reduction predicts improvement in other outcomes and substantial quality of life gain, Pain, 149, 360, 10.1016/j.pain.2010.02.039 · DOI
  78. Moore, 2012, Estimate at your peril: imputation methods for patient withdrawal can bias efficacy outcomes in chronic pain trials using responder analyses, Pain, 153, 265, 10.1016/j.pain.2011.10.004 · DOI
  79. Moulin, 2007, Pharmacological management of chronic neuropathic pain - consensus statement and guidelines from the Canadian Pain Society, Pain Research and Management, 12, 13, 10.1155/2007/730785 · DOI
  80. Ohayon, 2012, Prevalence and comorbidity of chronic pain in the German general population, Journal of Psychiatric Research, 46, 444, 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2012.01.001 · DOI
  81. Onghena, 1992, Antidepressant-induced analgesia in chronic non-malignant pain: a meta-analysis of 39 placebo-controlled studies, Pain, 49, 205, 10.1016/0304-3959(92)90144-Z · DOI
  82. Anonymous, 2012, Prescription cost analysis, England 2011
  83. The Nordic Cochrane Centre, The Cochrane Collaboration Review Manager (RevMan) 2011
  84. Sadosky, 2008, A review of the epidemiology of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia, and less commonly studied neuropathic pain conditions, Pain Practice, 8, 45, 10.1111/j.1533-2500.2007.00164.x · DOI
  85. Straube, 2010, Pregabalin in fibromyalgia--responder analysis from individual patient data, BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 11, 150, 10.1186/1471-2474-11-150 · DOI
  86. Straube, 2011, Interference with work in fibromyalgia: effect of treatment with pregabalin and relation to pain response, BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 12, 125, 10.1186/1471-2474-12-125 · DOI
  87. Sultan, 2008, Duloxetine for painful diabetic neuropathy and fibromyalgia pain: systematic review of randomised trials, BMC Neurology, 8, 29, 10.1186/1471-2377-8-29 · DOI
  88. Toth, 2009, The prevalence and impact of chronic pain with neuropathic pain symptoms in the general population, Pain Medicine, 10, 918, 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2009.00655.x · DOI
  89. Wiffen, 2011, Lamotrigine for acute and chronic pain, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
  90. Wolfe, 1990, The American College of Rheumatology 1990 Criteria for the Classification of Fibromyalgia. Report of the Multicenter Criteria Committee, Arthritis and Rheumatism, 33, 160, 10.1002/art.1780330203 · DOI · Paper page
  91. Wong, 2007, Effects of treatments for symptoms of painful diabetic neuropathy: systematic review, BMJ, 335, 87, 10.1136/bmj.39213.565972.AE · DOI
  92. Yawn, 2009, The prevalence of neuropathic pain: clinical evaluation compared with screening tools in a community population, Pain Medicine, 10, 586, 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2009.00588.x · DOI
  93. McQuay, 1996, A systematic review of antidepressants in neuropathic pain, Pain, 68, 217, 10.1016/S0304-3959(96)03140-5 · DOI
  94. Saarto, 2007, Antidepressants for neuropathic pain, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 10.1002/14651858.CD005454.pub2 · DOI

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Metadata

Authors
Moore, R. A., Derry, S., Aldington, D., Cole, P., & Wiffen, P. J.
Affiliations
  • University of Oxford (GB)
  • Royal Hampshire County Hospital (GB)
  • Churchill Hospital (GB)
ORCID
Venue
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
Publisher
John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Published
2012-12-12
Volume
12
Pages
CD008242-CD008242
ISSN
1361-6137 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1002/14651858.cd008242.pub2
OpenAlex
W1910061082
Cited by
293
References
8
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 29 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 44 · 2014: 54 · 2013: 34 · 2012: 1
Type
reference entry
Language
en
Update notices
new_version (2015-07-06)
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
European Commission
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology (medical) › Pain Mechanisms and Treatments
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Pain Management and Treatment
Keywords
amitriptyline, neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, tricyclic antidepressants, analgesic efficacy, adverse events, cancer-related neuropathic pain, diabetic neuropathic pain, placebo comparison, dose escalation, pain intensity reduction, quality of evidence
MeSH terms
Adult, Amitriptyline, Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic, Fibromyalgia, Humans, Neuralgia, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Analgesics, Non-Narcotic

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review