Efficacy and safety of duloxetine in chronic musculoskeletal pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) is a complex pain condition, and the treatment of CMP is mainly based on analgesic drugs now. Psychotherapy is a non-negligible factor in the treatment of CMP. Duloxetine, as a means of psychological intervention, is an effective treatment option for CMP patients. This article aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of duloxetine in the treatment of CMP. Databases and Data Treatment: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library from inception to May, 2022. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy and safety of duloxetine versus placebo in CMP patients were included. We identified 13 articles and studied a population of 4201 participants in 4 countries. Results This meta-analysis showed that the duloxetine has statistically significant compared with the placebo control, benefits on 24-hour average pain, living quality, physical function, and global impressions and there was no difference in the incidence of serious adverse event. In general, psychotherapy can improve mood and pain level at the same time. Conclusions This review shows a significant contribution of duloxetine to CMP symptom relief. This meta-analysis improved that duloxetine can significantly reduce the pain level of patients, improve depressive symptoms and global impression, and has no obvious serious adverse reactions. However, additional studies are required to confirm the relationship between psychological diseases and chronic pain and explore their internal links.