Posted by SLS on May 13, 2000, at 18:41:48
In reply to any info. about inapsine?, posted by CatherineLawrence on May 8, 2000, at 20:19:51
> Hi,
> My boyfriend has just been prescribed inapsine for manic depression(maybe?!). We've never heard of it and when we looked it up it said it was an anaesthetic! Does anyone know what its used for and what the side effects are? He can't take lithium because it poisons him and is worriied about potential problems with this.
> Thanks Catherine.
Hi Catherine.
I'm sorry you were left hanging. I decided to check out Inapsine to see what kind of drug it is. Inapsine is the product name for the drug droperidol.The most common usage for Inapsine is to prevent post-operative nausea and vomiting. It is also frequently used as an adjunct to anesthesia (it produces sedation). Inapsine is related to drugs like Thorazine and Haldol, two antipsychotics that are often used to treat severe mania (the "high" part of bipolar disorder / manic-depression). It has been used as an antipsychotic and an antimanic, but from what I could find, it is not used this way often. That is not to say that it is a bad choice.
A drug like Inapsine is usually used to "bring-down" someone who is very manic. I don't think it is used as a mood stabilizer, that is, it is not used to prevent future manic or depressive episodes. If the goal of using Inapsine is to replace lithium as a mood stabilizer rather than to use it to treat acute mania, there are other alternatives.
Why has your doctor chosen Inapsine? Why have not other mood stabilizers (Depakote, Tegretol, Lamictal, Neurontin) been considered. If your doctor likes the idea of using a neuroleptic antipsychotic like Inapsine, you may want to add Zyprexa to your list. This drug does seem to act like a mood stabilizer. You'll find plenty of posts here about Zyprexa.
Your doctor probably has specific reasons for choosing Inapsine. To ease your mind, you may want to discuss this with him. In addition, I think it is important to discuss the potential of Inapsine to produce those side effects that are common to drugs in its class (neuroleptics).
Good luck.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:32823
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000508/msgs/33394.html