Current medical research and opinion
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Mood disorders are often associated with poor glycemic control, and antidepressant treatments for mood and pain disorders can alter plasma glucose levels in patients with diabetes. A previous meta-analysis from three studies showed that duloxetine modestly increased fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and HbA(1c) levels in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPNP). This meta-analysis examined whether there were any short- and long-term effects of duloxetine (20-120 mg/day) on glycemic control in patients with diagnoses other than DPNP. ⋯ Duloxetine treatment did not significantly alter FPG and HbA(1c) levels compared with placebo treatment in the short-term studies. A small but statistically significant within-group increase in HbA(1c) was found in the 41-week study, but not in between-treatment group differences in the 52-week study. Neither of the long-term studies showed significant changes in the FPG levels. The small, non-reproducible HbA(1c) increase in one study of patients without DPNP may have resulted from patients with unrecognized diabetes in these trials.