Abstract
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may have analgesic effects on neuropathic pain, and the amounts of patient-requested opioids for pain reportedly decrease after ECT. However, no reports have examined the relationship between the analgesic effects of ECT and opioid dosages administered before and after ECT. We reviewed the medical records of 11 patients who underwent ECT while simultaneously using supplemental opioids for pain relief at our institution between March 2003 and March 2012. One case was excluded from analysis due to missing data. Eight of the remaining 10 patients showed decreased usage of opioids during ECT. Furthermore, opioid dosages for 4 of those 8 patients decreased without worsening of neuropathic pain. These results suggest that ECT may alleviate neuropathic pain and allow immediate decreases in opioid dosages for some patients with neuropathic pain.
