Big change to make it harder for patients to get pain killers like Vicodin

[Aristus]

134. Next time you have a visit to a primary care provider, ask him or her about treatment with tricyclic

antidepressants.

It's natural to ask why antidepressants are being used to treat chronic pain. Years ago, providers noticed that when they prescribed a tricyclic antidepressant like amitriptyline for patients with depression and chronic pain, that they experienced marked relief from both.

It's kind of a double-barreled shotgun: Chronic pain can cause depression, and depression can make chronic pain worse. TCA's can interrupt this vicious cycle, with substantially fewer side effects than narcotics. The most common are drowsiness and dry mouth. Some less common side effects can include cardiac arrhythmias, so periodic EKG's may be warranted. But TCA's are not physically addictive, and represent a huge improvement over opiates in the treatment of chronic pain.