Cymbalta is a prescription drug that is commonly used to treat depression, fibromyalgia, generalized anxiety disorder and diabetic nerve pain, but it is now being tested against claims that it helps to ease chronic pain in the lower back.
A recent study has been presented in Madrid at the 12th congress of the European Federation of Neurological Sciences, which took place between 23-26 August this year.
The study was based on testing adults who experience chronic lower back pain but weren’t depressed. There were 236 adults involved in the study, where some were given Cymbalta and some were prescribed a placebo during the 13-week study period. These drugs were prescribed daily.
Weekly pain scores were taken from each of the groups before and after the Cymbalta study. During the study, it was shown that those taking the Cymbalta drug saw great improvements in their back pain, more than those taking the placebos.
A second study was undertaken that showed no significance between those taking Cymbalta and those taking placebos. Again the study was carried out across a m13-week period, but on this occasion patients taking Cymbalta only experienced greater improvements in pain levels from weeks three to eleven, where there was no significant difference in other weeks.
The difference in outcomes of the two studies may be down to the difference in dosage of Cymbalta administered to patients. The first study, in which there was a greater significance in reduced pain of those taking Cymbalta, used 60 or 120 milligram doses of the drug, or a placebo. The second study, that showed no significant differences in pain, included a lower dose of 20 milligrams as well as the 60 and 120 milligram doses and the placebo.
Both studies showed certain side effects which were expected and in line with past studies of Cymbalta. Further study will be needed to determine whether Cymbalta proves successful in improving chronic lower back pain.