However , benefit was limited to antipsychotics and tricyclic antidepressants .
Conclusions Psychotropic drugs may be an effective treatment for FD , but the effect appears to be limited to antipsychotics and tricyclic antidepressants with fewer trials for other agents , meaning that firm conclusions for efficacy can not be made .
Objective Functional dyspepsia ( FD ) is a chronic gastroduodenal disorder .
Individuals with FD demonstrate visceral hypersensitivity , abnormal central pain processing , and low mood , but it is unclear whether psychotropic drugs are an effective treatment for the condition .
Dyspeptic patients with visceral hypersensitivity: sensitisation of pain specific or multimodal pathways?
Background and aims : Patients with functional dyspepsia who have hypersensitivity to gastric distension have more prevalent pain , suggesting the presence of hyperalgesia . It is unclear whether this reflects activation of pain specific afferent pathways or multimodal afferent pathways that also mediate non-painful sensations . In the former case , hyperalgesia should occur when intensity of non-painful sensations is still low . The aim of the study was to analyse whether the symptom profile during gastric dissentions in functional dyspepsia patients with hyperalgesia reflects sensitisation of pain specific or multimodal pathways . Methods : Forty eight consecutive dyspeptic patients ( 35 female ) underwent gastric sensitivity testing with a barostat balloon using a double r and om staircase protocol .  At the end of every distending step , patients scored perception of upper abdominal sensations on a graphic 0–6 rating scale and completed visual analogue scales ( VAS 0–100 mm ) for pain , nausea , satiety , and fullness . The end point was a rating scale of 5 or more . Results : Hypersensitivity was present in 20 patients ( 40 % ) ; gastric compliance did not differ between normo- and hypersensitive patients . At maximal distension ( score 5 or more ) , hypersensitive patients had significantly lower distending pressures and intra-balloon volumes , but similar VAS scores for pain , nausea , satiety , and fullness compared with normosensitive patients . In both normosensitive and hypersensitive patients , elevation of pain VAS scores with increasing distending pressures paralleled the elevation in VAS scores for nausea , satiety , and fullness . Conclusions : Hypersensitive dyspeptic patients reach the same intensity of painful and non-painful sensations as normosensitive patients but at lower distending pressures . Hyperalgesia occurs in hypersensitive dyspeptic patients at distending pressures that also induce intense non-painful sensations . These findings argue against isolated upregulation of pain specific afferents in functional dyspepsia patients with visceral hypersensitivity
However , benefit was limited to antipsychotics and tricyclic antidepressants .
Conclusions Psychotropic drugs may be an effective treatment for FD , but the effect appears to be limited to antipsychotics and tricyclic antidepressants with fewer trials for other agents , meaning that firm conclusions for efficacy can not be made .
Objective Functional dyspepsia ( FD ) is a chronic gastroduodenal disorder .
Individuals with FD demonstrate visceral hypersensitivity , abnormal central pain processing , and low mood , but it is unclear whether psychotropic drugs are an effective treatment for the condition .