Comparative trial of clomipramine and placebo in the treatment of terminal pain.

The use of antidepressants, and other psychotropic drugs, in the management of terminal pain is well established in clinical practice. However, few attempts have been made to test the value of such treatment in the setting of the double-blind controlled clinical trial. This paper describes an attempt, using clomipramine and a matching placebo, which failed. The difficulties encountered and possible reasons for failure are discussed.