Drug*	Dosage	Cost of generic (brand)†	Comments
Amitriptyline‡	10 to 150 mg at bedtime	$12 (NA)§	NNT = 1.3, NNH = 28 (major adverse events)
Nortriptyline‡ (Pamelor)	25 to 150 mg at bedtime	$13 ($692)§	NNH = 6 (minor adverse events)8 ||
Desipramine‡ (Norpramin)	25 to 150 mg at bedtime	$23 ($44)
Pregabalin (Lyrica)	150 to 600 mg per day, divided into two or three doses	NA ($168)	NNT = 3.3, NNH = 3.79
	300 mg twice per day		NNT = 4.010 ||
	100 mg three times per day		NNT = 6.010 ||
	50 mg three times per day		NNT = 19.110 ||
Gabapentin (Neurontin)	300 to 1,200 mg three times per day	$60 ($182)	NNT = 4.3, NNH = 3.711 ||
Carbamazepine (Tegretol)	200 to 600 mg twice per day	$10 ($86)§	NNT = 3.3, NNH = 1.99 ||
			NNT = 2.5, NNH = 3.712
Venlafaxine, extended release (Effexor XR)	150 to 225 mg per day	$142 ($150)	NNT = 3.1, NNH = 16.2 (major adverse effect)
			NNH = 9.6 (minor adverse effect)8
Duloxetine (Cymbalta)	60 to 120 mg per day	NA ($154)	NNT = 5.1,5,13 NNH = 155 ||
Morphine	15 to 120 mg per day	$17	Adverse effects and potential for addiction may limit use; decreased tolerated dose with similar effectiveness when used with gabapentin14,15
Oxycodone, controlled release (Oxycontin)	10 to 40 mg twice per day	$61 ($152)	NNT = 2.6 based on single small RCT16
			Another RCT showed benefit17||
			NNH = 816 (adverse effects led to withdrawal from study)
Tramadol (Ultram)	200 to 400 mg per day	$64 ($246)	NNT = 3.8, NNH = 7.7 (adverse effects led to withdrawal from study)18
Capsaicin cream (Zostrix)	0.075% topical cream four times per day	NA ($22 per 57-g tube)	NNT = 5.7 (adverse effects make blinded trials difficult)
			NNH = 2.5 (local adverse effect)
			NNH = 9.8 (adverse effects led to withdrawal from study)19
Lidocaine 5% patch (Lidoderm)	Up to three patches per day, each patch worn up to 12 hours; patches may be worn at the same time; a 12-hour drug-free interval is necessary	NA ($217 for one patch per day)	NNT = 4.4,20,21 NNH = 2920
l-carnitine	1,000 mg three times per day	$40	Review of two RCTs showed improved pain and nerve fiber regeneration22
Alpha-lipoic acid	600 mg per day	$10	Two RCTs showed conflicting results; long-term studies with oral formulation are needed23
Acupuncture	Types variable	$60 to 120 per treatment	Small RCT and pilot study have shown benefit; a Cochrane review is underway 24–26
Frequency-modulated electromagnetic neural stimulation	30 minutes per day	Depends on cost of hardware	Two small studies showed benefits alone and in conjunction with amitriptyline27–29