Brief Article
Copyright ©2013 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Nov 14, 2013; 19(42): 7455-7460
Published online Nov 14, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i42.7455
Effect of low-dose amitriptyline on globus pharyngeus and its side effects
Le-Qing You, Jing Liu, Lin Jia, Shu-Man Jiang, Gui-Qin Wang
Le-Qing You, Jing Liu, Lin Jia, Department of Gastroenterology, Guangzhou First People’s Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510180, Guangdong Province, China
Le-Qing You, Jing Liu, Lin Jia, Shu-Man Jiang, Gui-Qin Wang, Department of Gastroenterology, Guangzhou Nansha Central Hospital, Guangzhou 511457, Guangdong Province, China
Author contributions: Jia L proposed and designed the study; Wang GQ designed the randomization scheme and assessed the sample size; Liu J analyzed the data; You LQ and Jiang SM wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Lin Jia, MD, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Guangzhou First People’s Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, No. 1, Panfu Road, Guangzhou 510180, Guangdong Province, China. jialin@medmail.com.cn
Telephone: +86-20-81628678 Fax: +86-20-81628809
Received: July 22, 2013
Revised: September 26, 2013
Accepted: September 29, 2013
Published online: November 14, 2013
Core Tip

Core tip: A literature review reveals that there is no single effective treatment for patients with globus pharyngeus. Low-dose amitriptyline (AMT) is extensively used to treat functional gastrointestinal disorders, especially in cases with prolonged severe symptoms and disorders that affect daily function. However, no data regarding the possible effects of AMT in patients with globus pharyngeus are available. In this study, we conclude that low-dose AMT is well tolerated and can significantly improve patient symptoms. Thus, we recommend the use of low-dose AMT for globus pharyngeus.