Lexapro/Cipralex (Forest Labs/Lundbeck) reduces Pain in opiod-dependent patients

Opioid-dependent patients treated with Lexapro/Cipralex (escitalopram), from Forest Labs and Lundbeck, experience meaningful reductions in pain severity and pain interference during the first three months of therapy, according to a study published in Pain. Among methadone-treated patients, estimates of chronic pain prevalence range between 37-61 percent. Management of pain in opioid-dependent patients is a clinical challenge given concerns for opioid abuse and misuse among individuals with prior substance use disorders. Yet unresolved pain may be a risk factor for relapse among patients whose pain is not fully treated. The study, led by Judith Tsui, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine, evaluated the effects of Lexapro/Cipralex on treatment retention in patients with depressive symptoms who were initiating buprenorphine/naloxone for treatment of opioid dependence. Participants were randomized to receive 10 m.g. of Lexapro/Cipralex or a placebo daily. Changes in pain severity, pain interference and depression were assessed at one, two and three-month visits with the visual analog scale, Brief Pain Inventory, and the Beck Depression Inventory II, respectively. Treatment resulted in significantly decreased pain severity and interference over time, with a nearly 30 percent reduction in pain severity after one month compared to control. The study suggested that the analgesic properties of Lexapro/Cipralex were independent of its antidepressant effects. (See: Pain, Volume 152, Issue 11, Pages 2447-2672)