Back Pain
Some of the common medications used in the treatment of depression and back pain are antidepressants. Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) have been studied widely and shown to be effective in the treatment of back pain and depression. The common examples of TCAs include Amitriptyline, Protriptyline, Amoxapine, Nortriptyline, Doxepin, Trimipramine, Desipramine, Imipramine, and Clomipramine. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are also used for this treatment. However, data on the effectiveness of SSRIs in the treatment of depression and back pain is inconsistent. Citalopram, Sertraline, and Fluoxetine are the commonly used drugs under this class (Patetsos & Horjales-Araujo, 2016). Selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRIs), such as Duloxetine, are used in the treatment of chronic back pain (Patetsos & Horjales-Araujo, 2016). Other drugs include Venlafaxine and Bupropion.
The first line of defense for pain is Acetaminophen, which is commonly known under the brand name Tylenol. Other brand names for acetaminophen include Mapap, Panadol, Ofirmev, Tempra, and FeverAll. Acetaminophen falls under the class of analgesics, and it is preferred before the use of stronger medications or riskier therapies.
Medications that should not be given with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) or simply aspirin include Acetazolamide, Alendronate, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (such as Lisinopril, Fosinopril, and Ramipril), Brinzolamide, calcium channel blockers (such as Verapamil, Diltiazem, Nifedipine, and Amlodipine), and corticosteroids (such as Prednisone, Hydrocortisone, and Examethasone). Others include Glucosamine, Digoxin, Edoxaban, Heparin, Lanreotide, Pasireotide, Tetracyclines, TCAs, warfarin, valproic acid, Ticlopidine, Ticagleror, Sunitinib, Quinine, omega-3 fatty acids, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Palleria et al., 2013).
ASA cannot be given to patients with gastric ulcers. This class of drugs can induce the formation or exacerbation of gastric ulcers. Toradol, which is a NSAID, is only used as a short-term medication taken for maximum of 5-7 days and for 2 days when administered through injection.
References
Palleria, C., Di Paolo, A., Giofrè, C., Caglioti, C., Leuzzi, G., Siniscalchi, A., … Gallelli, L. (2013). Pharmacokinetic drug-drug interaction and their implication in clinical management. Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 18(7), 601-610.
Patetsos, E., & Horjales-Araujo, E. (2016). Treating chronic pain with SSRIs: What do we know? Pain Research & Management, 3, 1-17. Web.