ABSTRACT
Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) were originally designed and marketed for treating depression, but over time they have been applied to a variety of conditions, mostly off-label. TCAs can serve as first-line or augmenting drugs for neuropathic pain, headache, migraine, gastrointestinal syndromes, fibromyalgia, pelvic pain, insomnia, and psychiatric conditions other than depression. This article reviews pharmacology, dosing, and safety considerations for these uses.
- © 2019 The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
- Joanne Schneider, DNP, RN, CNP
- Xavier F. Jimenez, MD, MA⇑
- Center for Comprehensive Pain Recovery, Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic; Assistant Professor, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
- Address
: Xavier F. Jimenez, MD, MA, Neurological Institute, C15, Cleve-land Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195; jimenex2{at}ccf.org
ABSTRACT
Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) were originally designed and marketed for treating depression, but over time they have been applied to a variety of conditions, mostly off-label. TCAs can serve as first-line or augmenting drugs for neuropathic pain, headache, migraine, gastrointestinal syndromes, fibromyalgia, pelvic pain, insomnia, and psychiatric conditions other than depression. This article reviews pharmacology, dosing, and safety considerations for these uses.
- © 2019 The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. All Rights Reserved.