When Depression Hurts

All effective antidepressants work on relieving somatic symptoms—to some degree, says Dr. Stahl. But some drugs work more robustly than others. "The emotional symptoms might be improved with agents that boost either dopamine, norepinephrine, or serotonin. But to get the optimal reduction of pain symptoms may actually require an approach that combines action on serotonin and norepinephrine." In other words, the use of dual-action agents.