Some antidepressants can help alleviate jaw pain. The cause of the pain is usually TMDs (temporomandibular disorders). The research was reviewed by a team with expertise in dentistry and pharmacy.
Reid Friesen, senior author of the study explains
“TMDs are a group of conditions that affect the jaw joint and the surrounding muscles that control your jaw,”
“They can cause pain in the jaw itself, which may also radiate to the face, neck, and other areas of the head.”
Multiple people suffer from chronic TMDs pain alongside anxiety and depression. Moreover, previous studies have shown that some antidepressants can manage the painful condition. The aim of the study was to examine these effectiveness of these medications especially in releiving TMD related pain.
The researchers analysed past studies involving adults with TMD pain for at least three months and who were also taking antidepressants. The studies included seven randomized controlled trials, including the outcome measures. The participants described their pain intensity after the treatment.
They found that several SNRIs like duloxetine were effective in pain reduction in people with TMDs. However, SSRIs performed no better. This suggested that SNRIs may be the jackpot.
Co author Nathan Beahm said,
“Despite the pain pathways being very serotonergic, it seems that drugs which only work on serotonin and don’t touch on norepinephrine are not as effective when used for pain,”
Combined with other dental treatment, the antidepressants were more effective.
“That’s something we see with other pain conditions—when you use what we call multimodal therapy, you’re more likely to have a beneficial effect,”
says Beahm.
“You’re coming at the pain from a couple of different avenues.”
