Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
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Clin. Pharmacol. Ther. · Apr 2001
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialSpecific effect of venlafaxine on single and repetitive experimental painful stimuli in humans.
Tricyclic antidepressants relieve neuropathic pain, and the analgesic properties of tricyclic antidepressants are substantiated in human experimental pain models. It has been speculated that drugs with a selective inhibition of presynaptic reuptake of both serotonin and noradrenaline could have an analgesic effect comparable to the analgesic effect of tricyclic antidepressants. ⋯ Venlafaxine increases the pain tolerance threshold to electrical sural nerve stimulation and the threshold at which pain increases (pain summation). The impact of venlafaxine on pain summation in this experimental pain model on repetitive stimulation may indicate a potential analgesic effect for clinical neuropathic pain.