• Emily Carol McKinley, Elizabeth J Richardson, Gerald McGwin, and Jie Zhang.
• a Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham , Birmingham , Alabama , USA.
• J Spinal Cord Med. 2018 Nov 1; 41 (6): 637-644.

ObjectiveTo investigate if a combination of anticonvulsant and antidepressant, two primary therapies for neuropathic pain, is associated with improved pain control compared to individual therapy.DesignProspective cohort study Setting: The University of Alabama at Birmingham Rehabilitation Center In-patient Program between 2012 and 2015.ParticipantsIncident SCI cases, 19-65 years of age.OutcomesBryce-Ragnarsson pain classification scheme and the Numerical Rating Scale Results: Twenty-nine eligible patients completed 6-month follow-up; their average age was 36.4 years, 89% were male, and 65% were white. Baseline characteristics were not different by therapy initiated (combination versus single). At 6 months follow-up, therapy initiated at baseline was not associated with level of pain in the past week (p=0.3145) or past 24 hours (p=0.4107). However, patients who remained on the same therapy reported lower levels of pain 30 minutes after waking (p=0.0235).ConclusionsThe initiation of a combination of anticonvulsant and antidepressant shortly after SCI was not associated with improved pain control at 6 months compared to individual therapy. Adherent patients reported lower levels of pain; further analysis is warranted to elucidate this association.

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