Project overview
Chronic pain is any type of pain that lasts for three months or longer. Around one in three people in the UK live with chronic pain. It often limits what people can do in their lives and has a negative effect on mood. So, it is important the NHS can offer treatments that work well. In the UK, people with chronic pain tend to manage their pain with help from their GP.
Antidepressants are medicines that were first created to treat depression. It is thought that they may help to treat chronic pain because some of the same chemicals that affect mood might also affect pain. Guidance for doctors does suggest using antidepressants for some types of pain. But we don't know for certain how well they work for treating pain.
There hasn't been much research asking people with pain about using antidepressants. Some people say that antidepressants have not helped their pain but have helped them sleep better or feel better. Lots of people say they are worried about not being able to stop taking them, and that they worry about what other people think.
This project will talk to people with chronic pain about their pain and use of antidepressants. We will include people with any type of chronic pain. We will ask:
- if antidepressants helped their pain, or if they stopped taking them
- if antidepressants helped in any other ways, such as feeling happier or sleeping better
- if they had any bad experiences from taking the antidepressants
- how the doctors talked to them about antidepressants for pain
We will ask people to take part through social media, and through charities that help people with pain. We will talk to people over the telephone or video call, so we can talk to people from all over the country. People with chronic pain will help us to make sure that we ask useful questions. We will read through the interviews to group together common experiences.
We will use the information we collect to let doctors and other people know about people's experiences with antidepressants. We will also use it as a basis for future research. We hope that this will improve the treatment of chronic pain.
Antidepressants are medicines that were first created to treat depression. It is thought that they may help to treat chronic pain because some of the same chemicals that affect mood might also affect pain. Guidance for doctors does suggest using antidepressants for some types of pain. But we don't know for certain how well they work for treating pain.
There hasn't been much research asking people with pain about using antidepressants. Some people say that antidepressants have not helped their pain but have helped them sleep better or feel better. Lots of people say they are worried about not being able to stop taking them, and that they worry about what other people think.
This project will talk to people with chronic pain about their pain and use of antidepressants. We will include people with any type of chronic pain. We will ask:
- if antidepressants helped their pain, or if they stopped taking them
- if antidepressants helped in any other ways, such as feeling happier or sleeping better
- if they had any bad experiences from taking the antidepressants
- how the doctors talked to them about antidepressants for pain
We will ask people to take part through social media, and through charities that help people with pain. We will talk to people over the telephone or video call, so we can talk to people from all over the country. People with chronic pain will help us to make sure that we ask useful questions. We will read through the interviews to group together common experiences.
We will use the information we collect to let doctors and other people know about people's experiences with antidepressants. We will also use it as a basis for future research. We hope that this will improve the treatment of chronic pain.
