A new study sheds some positive light on an old school antidepressant. The study evaluated the effectiveness of imipramine (Tofranil), a tryciclic antidepressant, on global (overall) IBS symptoms and quality of life. Low doses of tricyclic antidepressants have long been used as a treatment for IBS, not because IBS patients are depressed, but rather because the medications appear to be effective in reducing pain and slowing down the intestinal tract.
According to the study abstract, 107 IBS patients were recruited to participate. Due to a high dropout rate, the study ended up with 56 patients assigned to the imipramine group and 25 to the placebo group. The high dropout rate was seen in both groups, but negative side effects was the more likely reason in the imipramine group.
The group given the medication was started at a dose of 25 mg, but were given the option of increasing to 50 mg at week two if no positive effect was yet seen. The results indicated that the imipramine was effective in offering global symptom relief. This positive effect was seen early on in the study and persisted for the entire 16 weeks that data were gathered.
The authors recommend that imipramine be administered at a low starting dosage with escalation as needed. In addition, they recommend that patients be monitored for negative side effects. If your doctor recommends imipramine, you no longer need balk at the word "antidepressant" and, in fact, can feel confident that you now have some knowledge regarding the drug's effectiveness.
Related Reading:
Source:
Abdul-Baki, H. et.al. "A randomized controlled trial of imipramine in patients with irritable bowel syndrome." World Journal of Gastroenterology 2009 15:3636-3642.
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