Posted by bleauberry on January 18, 2009, at 15:03:40
In reply to Good News For Fibromyalgia FDA Approves Milnacipra, posted by Phillipa on January 18, 2009, at 13:11:55
Did I read that correctly? Milnacipran in the USA? Well, I'll be. That is so cool.
And given that FDA recently gave the go-ahead thing about off-label uses of meds, I hope it doesn't take much time for pdocs, GPs, and public to discover that in all the rest of the world Milnacipran is not primarily for Fibro, it is primarily an antidepressant. And a real good. It is for example huge in Japan.
It is an NSRI, that is, norepeniphrine serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Or SNRI, either way. Its ratio is basically equal, with 3 parts NE to 1 part 5ht. The other meds in its class, Cymbalta and Effexor, are predominantly just 5ht with a scant bit of NE. (Cymbalta 9:1 5ht:NE; Effexor 30:1 5ht:NE).
Anyway, I've tried em all. Milnacipran definitely has a total different feel to it. Even though it is strong on NE, it does not at all feel like Reboxetine. Milnacipran is just different. It often begins working fast, like within a few days or one week. In theory researchers have said that might have something to do with its rapid desensitization of 5ht1a receptors. I think most people will like it. In studies where depression patients were carried to at least 12 weeks, response rates were in the mid 80's and high remission rates too.
poster:bleauberry
thread:874751
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090104/msgs/874786.html