Efficacy of milnacipran for glossodynia patients.

Pain and depression are thought to arise from a common neurochemical dysfunction at the level of noradrenergic and serotonergic neurons, and antidepressants are used to treat chronic pain. The dual action tricyclic antidepressants are more potent in relieving pain than the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Glossodynia is chronic pain and burning sensation in the tongue often associated with depression. Patients suffering from glossodynia were treated with the serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, milnacipran, which has been recently launched in Japan. Milnacipran was found to be effective in the relief of the chronic glossodynia and well tolerated.