Abstract
Objective: To review the literature on the efficacy of antidepressant drugs in the treatment of patients with chronic facial muscle disorders in terms of pain reduction and adverse effects. Methods: The descriptors "Antidepressive Agents", "Facial Pain", "Drug Therapy,", connected by the Boolean operator "AND", were searched in the Pubmed database of the last 10 years. Forty articles were obtained, of which 10 were selected based on the reading of titles and abstracts. Studies and clinical trials that reported treatments of chronic facial muscle dysfunction with antidepressant drugs were included. Results: 3 studies concluded that there was a reduction in pain in patients treated with Amitriptyline and in those who received Amitriptyline with Pindolol. 2 studies have found positive effects in patients treated with Milnacipran. 2 studies inferred that, after the start of Duloxetine administration, there was a significant reduction in pain. 2 studies suggested efficacy in patients with chronic facial muscle dysfunction and who used Amitriptyline and Nortriptyline. 1 study observed the use of Tizanidine or Cyclobenzaprine, and concluded its ineffectiveness compared to placebo. Final considerations: Antidepressant drugs have the ability to effectively treat myofascial pain, especially chronic pain, due to the ability to have analgesic effects, with Amitriptyline being considered the gold standard for these treatments.