Antidepressants v placebo for unexplained symptoms or syndromes*
| Number of RCTs for each antidepressant type | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symptom groups | TCA | SSRI | Anti-S | Other | Mean quality score | Pooled OR (95% CI)† |
| *Anti-S=antiserotonin; GI=gastrointestinal; OR=odds ratio; RCTs=randomised controlled trials; SSRI=selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor; TCA=tricyclic antidepressant. Median follow up was 9 weeks. | ||||||
| †Odds ratios show a benefit for the antidepressant group. | ||||||
| Chronic headache | 21 | 8 | 23 | — | 4.6 | 3.4 (2.7 to 4.4) |
| Fibromyalgia | 12 | 4 | — | 3 | 5.8 | 5.1 (3.1 to 8.5) |
| Functional GI disorders | 11 | — | 2 | 1 | 4.1 | 4.4 (2.5 to 7.7) |
| Idiopathic pain | 8 | 2 | 2 | — | 4.2 | 2.0 (1.4 to 2.8) |
| Tinnitus | 2 | — | — | — | 4.0 | — |
| Chronic fatigue | — | 2 | — | — | 4.0 | — |
| All | 56 | 17 | 28 | 3 | 4.8 | 3.4 (2.6 to 4.3) |