title: Effectiveness of duloxetine for the treatment of chronic nonorganic orofacial pain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We examined the pain-relieving effect of duloxetine on chronic nonorganic orofacial pain (burning mouth syndrome and atypical odontalgia), considering the influence of baseline depressive symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study of 12 weeks, duloxetine was administered in a fixed-flexible dose of 20 to 40 mg/d to 41 patients with burning mouth syndrome and/or atypical odontalgia. Pain was evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS) at baseline and at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 weeks of treatment. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale at baseline and at 12 weeks of treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We analyzed the data from 29 patients who completed the study. The VAS score at 12 weeks of treatment was significantly lower than that at baseline. The time course of the VAS scores revealed its significant decrease from 2 weeks of treatment compared to the baseline score. To investigate the influence of baseline depressive symptoms on the pain-relieving effect of duloxetine, the subjects were divided into 2 groups based on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score on initial consultation: groups with (≥8) and without (≤7) depressive symptoms. Two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed no significant interaction between time and initial presence or absence of depression. An additional intent-to-treat last-observation-carried-forward analysis including dropped-out patients revealed a similar result.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Duloxetine significantly relieved chronic nonorganic orofacial pain. Its pain-relieving effect appeared from 2 weeks of treatment. Furthermore, the pain-relieving effects of duloxetine similarly appeared regardless of the presence or absence of baseline depressive symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Wataru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Nagashima
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Mikiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tokura
authors.forename: Munetaka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arao
authors.forename: Branko
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Aleksic
authors.forename: Keizo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kurita
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ozaki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D000068736:Duloxetine Hydrochloride; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000379:methods; D013876:Thiophenes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D013876:Thiophenes; D000068736:Duloxetine Hydrochloride