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. 2012 Mar 7;5:39–49. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S16733

Table 1.

Level of evidencea for the drugs utilized to treat phantom-limb pain and other neuropathic-pain conditions

Drug Neuropathic-pain conditions

PLP PPN PHN TN HIV CP
Acetaminophen CrS/P
NSAIDs CrS/P
Antidepressants tricyclics
Amitriptyline CT/P/N CT/Pb CT/Pb CT/N CTb
 Desipramine CT/Pb CT/Pb b
 Imipramine CT/Pb, CT/Pb b
 Nortriptyline CT/Pb CT/Pb b
 Clomipramine CT/Pb CT/Pb
 Trazadone CT/P
 Maprotiline CT/Pb CT/Pb b
Tetracyclics
Mirtazapine CS
SSRIs
 Escitalopram CT/P
 Fluoxetine CT/P
 Paroxetine CT/P
 Sertraline OLT/P
Bupropion CT/P CT/P
SNRIs
Duloxetine CR CT/Pb
 Venlafaxine ER CT/N CT/Pb CT/P
Milnacipran CR
Anticonvulsants calcium channel alpha 2 delta ligands
Gabapentin CT/P CT/P/Nb CT/Pb CR CT/N CT/Pb
 Pregabalin CT/P CT/Pb CT/P CT/N CT/Pb
Carbamazepine CT/P CT/Pb
Lamotrigine CT/P/N CT/P/N
Oxcarbamazepine CT/Pb
Phenytoin CT/P/N
Topiramate CT/P/N
Valproate CT/P/N CT/P CT/N
Sodium channel blockers
 Bupivacaine (inject) CT/P
 Lidocaine
  Infusion CT/N CT/P
  Patches CT/P
 Mexiletine CT/P/N CT/N CT/N
NMDA receptor antagonists
Memantine CR/P/N CT/P/N CT/N
 Ketaminec CT/N
 Dextromethorphan CT/P CT/N
NMDA+Potassium channel blocker CR
Flupirtine (plus opioids)
Opioids
Morphine CT/P CT/P CT/P
Methadone CS
Buprenorphined CR/P
 Oxycodone CR/P CT/P CT/P
 Levorphanol CT(M)
Tramadol CT/P CT/P CT/P
Muscle relaxants
Baclofen CRd CT/P
 Benzodiazepines
  Clonazepam CS
  Diazepam CT/P
  Alprazolam OLT
Corticosteroids
 Prednisone CS
 Dexamethasone CS
Capsaicin CT/P/N CT/P CT/N

Notes: In bold characters, reports and studies specifically designed to test drugs on PLP.

a

Only highest level of evidence for each drug and condition reported;

b

first-line drugs according to EFNS guidelines;

c

intravenous infusion;

d

intrathecal analgesia.

Abbreviations: CrS, cross-sectional study; CR, case report/case series; CT, controlled trial; OLT, open label trial; M, mixed patient population; P, positive clinical trial; N, negative clinical trial; P/N, mixed clinical trial results; PLP, phantom limb pain; PPN, painful polyneuropathy; PHN, post-herpetic neuralgia; TN, trigeminal neuralgia; CP, central pain (post-stoke and spinal cord injury); NSAIDs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; SSRIs, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors; SNRIs, serotoninnorepinephrine reuptake inhibitors; NMDA, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate.