Table 1.
Overall proportion of patients with a clinically meaningful response to treatment
| INTERVENTION TYPE | GRADE CERTAINTY OF EVIDENCE | NO. OF RCTs | INTERVENTION EVENT RATE, % (n/N) | CONTROL EVENT RATE, % (n/N) | OUTCOME MEASURED TIME FRAME | RISK RATIO (95% CI) | NUMBER NEEDED TO TREAT | P VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acupuncture | Very low | 3 | 22 (27/121) | 13 (16/126) | 8 to 10 wk | 1.81 (0.55 to 5.98) | NSS | NA |
| Anticonvulsant medications* | Moderate | 40 | 46 (2698/5837) | 30 (1120/3738) | 2 to 16 wk | 1.54 (1.45 to 1.63) | 7 | NA |
| • Gabapentin | 10 | 43 (678/1578) | 25 (246/974) | 2 to 16 wk | 1.60 (1.42 to 1.81) | 6 | .17 | |
| • Pregabalin | 27 | 48 (1747/3650) | 31 (758/2419) | 5 to 15 wk | 1.56 (1.45 to 1.67) | 7 | .17 | |
| • Oxcarbazepine | 3 | 43 (170/395) | 33 (79/236) | 16 wk | 1.22 (0.98 to 1.52) | NSS | .17 | |
| • Topiramate | 1 | 48 (103/214) | 34 (37/109) | 12 wk | 1.42 (1.05 to 1.91) | 8 | .17 | |
| Opioids | Low | 6 | 49 (289/593) | 36 (198/556) | 5 to 12 wk | 1.37 (1.19 to 1.57) | 8 | NA |
| Rubefacients* | Low | 10 | 49 (635/1303) | 34 (350/1041) | 6 to 52 wk | 1.40 (1.26 to 1.55) | 7 | NA |
| • Frequent application creams or low-dose patches | 5 | 37 (106/285) | 25 (62/249) | 6 to 8 wk | 1.56 (1.20 to 2.03) | 9 | .35 | |
| • Less frequent application (high-potency patches) | 5 | 52 (529/1018) | 36 (288/792) | 12 to 52 wk | 1.36 (1.22 to 1.52) | 7 | .35 | |
| SNRIs* | Moderate | 8 | 57 (995/1759) | 41 (405/987) | 6 to 13 wk | 1.45 (1.33 to 1.59) | 7 | NA |
| • Duloxetine | 6 | 59 (759/1279) | 42 (344/817) | 12 to 13 wk | 1.48 (1.34 to 1.62) | 6 | .48 | |
| • Venlafaxine or desvenlafaxine | 2 | 49 (236/480) | 36 (61/170) | 6 to 12 wk | 1.35 (1.08 to 1.69) | 8 | .48 | |
| TCAs | Very low | 2 | 78 (66/85) | 26 (22/85) | 6 to 8 wk | 3.00 (2.05 to 4.38), fixed-effects model | 2 | NA |
| 2.35 (0.79 to 6.95), random-effects model | NSS |
GRADE—Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation; NA—not applicable; NSS—not statistically significant; RCT—randomized controlled trial; SNRI—serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor; TCA—tricyclic antidepressant.
*
For rubefacients, SNRIs, and anticonvulsant medications, no statistically significant difference was found between individual drug types.