The Role of Melatonin in the Treatment of Chronic Back Pain

Objective. To study the analgesic role of melatonin in the treatment of chronic back pain. Materials and methods. A total of 178 patients aged 40–65 years with lower back pain for at least 12 weeks and pain intensity of more than 3 points on a visual analog scale took part in the study. Patients were divided into six groups and three comparison pairs. In pair 1, patients of the study group (31 subjects) received Artra (glucosamine hydrochloride 500 mg combined with chondroitin sulfate 500 mg) one tablet twice daily for one month followed by one tablet for two months, along with Melaxen (melatonin) 3 mg 30–40 min before going to sleep), while patients of the reference group (29 patients) received only Artra. In the second pair, patients of the reference group (30 patients) received Artra one tablet twice daily and diclofenac 25 mg 2–3 times daily and patients of the study group (30 patients) also received Melaxen as in the fi rst comparison pair. In the third pair, patients of the study group (29 patients) received diclofenac 25 mg three times daily and Melaxen as above, while patients of the reference group (29 patients) did not receive Melaxen. Results were evaluated at three months in pair 1 and at one month in pairs 2 and 3. Results and conclusions. The data obtained here provide evidence of a statistically signifi cantly more marked decrease in the intensity of rest and movement pain in all study groups than reference groups. The possible mechanism of the analgesic properties of melatonin and world experience in its use in the treatment of chronic pain are discussed. The results lead to the conclusion that addition of melatonin to standard treatment regimens increases their effi cacy.

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