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Antidepressants for irritable bowel syndrome

Paul Fritsch, Michael R. Kolber and Christina Korownyk
Canadian Family Physician April 2020, 66 (4) 265;
Paul Fritsch
Family medicine resident at the University of Calgary in Alberta.
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Michael R. Kolber
Professor, PEER Group in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
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Christina Korownyk
Associate Professor, PEER Group in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
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Clinical question

Do antidepressant medications improve irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms?

Bottom line

Both tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) might improve overall IBS symptoms. About 55% of patients treated with TCAs or SSRIs will benefit compared with about 35% with placebo. Only TCAs improved abdominal pain for about 60% of patients compared with about 30% with placebo. Studies of TCAs reported more side effects (drowsiness and dry mouth) than studies of SSRIs did.

Evidence

  • The most recent systematic review included 18 RCTs of 1127 adult patients (42% to 100% women); the IBS subtype was usually not specified. Patient-reported outcomes are presented where available.1

    • - Twelve RCTs of TCAs (787 patients) studied amitriptyline, imipramine, desipramine, trimipramine, doxepin, and nortriptyline versus placebo over 6 to 12 weeks.

      • — Global IBS symptom improvement was 57% for TCAs versus 36% for placebo (number needed to treat [NNT] of 5).

      • — Abdominal pain improvement was 59% for TCAs versus 28% for placebo (NNT = 4).

      • — Adverse events (mostly drowsiness and dry mouth) were 36% for TCAs versus 20% for placebo (number needed to harm of 7).

    • - Seven RCTs of SSRIs (356 patients) studied fluoxetine, paroxetine, and citalopram over 6 to 12 weeks.

      • — Global IBS symptom improvement was 55% for SSRIs versus 33% for placebo (NNT = 5).

      • — Abdominal pain improvement was 45% for SSRIs versus 26% for placebo (not statistically different).

      • — Adverse events were 37% for SSRIs versus 27% for placebo (not statistically different).

    • - Evidence was limited by small sample sizes, short study duration, and likely publication bias. Adverse events were not reported in all studies.

  • Older systematic reviews show similar results.2,3

Context

  • Up to 5 million Canadian adults might have symptoms compatible with IBS.4

  • Canadian guidelines recommend TCAs or SSRIs irrespective of whether patients have depression or anxiety.5

  • Evidence for antidepressants appears stronger than for antispasmodics,6 fibre,4 low FODMAP diet,7 or probiotics.4

  • Newer treatments are limited by cost (linaclotide costs $560 for 90 days8 and rifaximin $330 for 14 days9) and lack of long-term safety data.10

Implementation

The fecal calprotectin test might help differentiate inflammatory bowel disease from IBS11 and appears cost effective at a 100 µg/g cutoff.12

The choice of antidepressant and dosing can be based on potential side effects. Consider TCAs for diarrhea-predominant IBS and give at night (owing to constipating and sedation effects). Consider SSRIs for constipation-predominant IBS and give during the day. Doses varied in the studies; starting low and increasing slowly based on response seems reasonable.

Notes

Tools for Practice articles in Canadian Family Physician are adapted from articles published on the Alberta College of Family Physicians (ACFP) website, summarizing medical evidence with a focus on topical issues and practice-modifying information. The ACFP summaries and the series in Canadian Family Physician are coordinated by Dr G. Michael Allan, and the summaries are co-authored by at least 1 practising family physician and are peer reviewed. Feedback is welcome and can be sent to toolsforpractice{at}cfpc.ca. Archived articles are available on the ACFP website: www.acfp.ca.

Footnotes

  • Competing interests

    None declared

  • The opinions expressed in Tools for Practice articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily mirror the perspective and policy of the Alberta College of Family Physicians.

  • This article is eligible for Mainpro+ certified Self-Learning credits. To earn credits, go to www.cfp.ca and click on the Mainpro link.

  • La traduction en français de cet article se trouve à www.cfp.ca dans la table des matières du numéro d’avril 2020 à la page e129.

  • Copyright© the College of Family Physicians of Canada

References

  1. 1.↵
    1. Ford AC,
    2. Lacy BE,
    3. Harris LA,
    4. Quigley EMM,
    5. Moayyedi P
    . Effect of antidepressants and psychological therapies in irritable bowel syndrome: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Gastroenterol 2019;114(1):21-39.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  2. 2.↵
    1. Ruepert L,
    2. Quartero AO,
    3. de Wit NJ,
    4. van der Heijden GJ,
    5. Rubin G,
    6. Muris JWM
    . Bulking agents, antispasmodics and antidepressants for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2011;(8):CD003460.
  3. 3.↵
    1. Ford AC,
    2. Quigley EM,
    3. Lacy BE,
    4. Lembo AJ,
    5. Saito YA,
    6. Schiller LR,
    7. et al
    . Effect of antidepressants and psychological therapies, including hypnotherapy, in irritable bowel syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Gastroenterol 2014;109(9):1350-65. Epub 2014 Jun 17.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  4. 4.↵
    1. Canadian Digestive Health Foundation [website].
    Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Oakville, ON: Canadian Digestive Health Foundation.; Available from: https://cdhf.ca/digestive-disorders/irritable-bowel-syndrome-ibs/what-is-irritable-bowel-syndrome-ibs/. Accessed 2019 Oct 17.
  5. 5.↵
    1. Moayyedi P,
    2. Andrews CN,
    3. MacQueen G,
    4. Korownyk C,
    5. Marsiglio M,
    6. Graff L,
    7. et al
    . Canadian Association of Gastroenterology clinical practice guideline for the management of irritable bowel syndrome. J Can Assoc Gastroenterol 2019;2(1):6-29. Epub 2019 Jan 17.
    OpenUrl
  6. 6.↵
    1. Bhargava A,
    2. Kolber MR
    . Antispasmodics and peppermint oil: old news or breath of fresh air in managing irritable bowel syndrome. Edmonton, AB: Alberta College of Family Physicians; 2019. Tools for Practice #229.
  7. 7.↵
    1. Hackett C,
    2. Kolber MR
    . Low FODMAP diet. Can Fam Physician 2015;61:691.
    OpenUrlFREE Full Text
  8. 8.↵
    Products and pricing on the Alberta Blue Cross Drug Price List (ABCDPL). Edmonton, AB: ABC Benefits Corporation.; 2020. Available from: https://www.ab.bluecross.ca/dbl/pdfs/ABCDPL_2020_02_04.pdf. Accessed 2020 Feb 1.
  9. 9.↵
    1. Alberta Health.
    Rifaximin. Interactive Drug Benefit List. Edmonton, AB: Alberta Health.; 2020. Available from: https://idbl.ab.bluecross.ca/idbl/load.do. Accessed 2020 Feb 1.
  10. 10.↵
    1. Turner B,
    2. Kolber MR,
    3. Korownyk C
    . Moving along the management of constipation predominant IBS—is it worth the cost? Edmonton, AB: Alberta College of Family Physicians; 2017. Tools for Practice #189.
  11. 11.↵
    1. Freeman K,
    2. Willis BH,
    3. Fraser H,
    4. Taylor-Phillips S,
    5. Clarke A
    . Faecal calprotectin to detect inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review and exploratory meta-analysis of test accuracy. BMJ Open 2019;9(3):e027428.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  12. 12.↵
    1. Zhang W,
    2. Wong CH,
    3. Chavannes M,
    4. Mohammadi T,
    5. Rosenfeld G
    . Cost-effectiveness of faecal calprotectin used in primary care in the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease. BMJ Open 2019;9(4):e027043.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
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Canadian Family Physician: 66 (4)
Canadian Family Physician
Vol. 66, Issue 4
1 Apr 2020
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Antidepressants for irritable bowel syndrome
Paul Fritsch, Michael R. Kolber, Christina Korownyk
Canadian Family Physician Apr 2020, 66 (4) 265;

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Paul Fritsch, Michael R. Kolber, Christina Korownyk
Canadian Family Physician Apr 2020, 66 (4) 265;
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