Current concepts of geriatric pain and its treatment.

Because stress and depression are prevalent in the elderly, the opportunity for pain to intensify stress and depression may be greater in older people than in the general population. Evidence that pain-related psychosomatic complaints are more frequent in the elderly further complicates the issue. Antidepressants that affect serotonergic systems may have analgesic properties independent of their antidepressant properties; eg, amitriptyline and doxepin. These drugs may have a more rapid effect on pain than on depression.