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Tricyclic antidepressants are prescribed frequently to treat neuropathic pain, but side effects sometimes limit their use. In this double-blind crossover study, researchers assessed the efficacy of the non-tricyclic antidepressant bupropion in 41 nondepressed patients with neuropathic pain of diverse causes.
Each patient received 6-week courses of sustained-release bupropion (150 to 300 mg daily) and placebo, in random order. At 6 weeks, the proportion of patients who described improvement in pain was significantly greater with bupropion than with placebo (73% vs. 10%), and mean pain scores were lower with bupropion (4.0 vs. 5.8 on a 10-point scale). Most common side effects during bupropion treatment were dry mouth (37% of patients), insomn…