Comparison of the effectiveness of amitriptyline and gabapentin on chronic neuropathic pain in persons with spinal cord injury.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypotheses that both amitriptyline and gabapentin are more effective in relieving neuropathic pain than an active placebo, diphenhydramine.

DESIGN: Randomized, controlled, double blind, triple crossover 8-week trial.

SETTING: Veterans Affairs medical center.

PARTICIPANTS: Community dwelling adults with spinal cord injury (N=38) were recruited by telephone, letters, and flyers.

INTERVENTION: Eight-week trial each of amitriptyline, gabapentin, and diphenhydramine.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pain intensity measured with a 10-cm visual analog scale (VAS) and an 11-point (0-10) numeric rating scale (NRS) and depressive symptomatology measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Short Form (CESD-SF).

RESULTS: Baseline VAS scores for participants with low (< 10) CESD-SF scores was 4.61 and for those with high scores (> or = 10) it was 7.41. At week 8, in participants with high baseline CESD-SF scores, amitriptyline (mean, 4.21) was more effective than diphenhydramine (mean, 6.67; P=.035), and there was a nonsignificant trend suggesting that amitriptyline may be more effective than gabapentin (mean, 6.68; P=.061). Gabapentin was no more effective than diphenhydramine (P=.97). There was no significant difference among the medications for those with lower CESD-SF scores. Results could not be attributed to dropout rates, order or dose of medications, amount of medication taken for breakthrough pain, or side effects.

CONCLUSIONS: Amitriptyline is more efficacious in relieving neuropathic pain than diphenhydramine at or below the level of spinal cord injury in people who have considerable depressive symptomatology.