In the first study of its kind to demonstrate an association between the antidepressant escitalopram and improved general pain, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine found that opioid-dependent patients treated with escitalopram experienced significant reductions in pain during the first three months of therapy. More than 600 patients addicted to prescription opioids were randomized to receive 10 mg of escitalopram or a placebo daily. Changes in pain severity and depression were assessed at one, two, and three months. Investigators found that treatment with escitalopram resulted in a meaningful reduction in pain over time, with nearly 30 percent reduction in pain after just one month compared to the control group.
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