Posted by ed_uk2010 on May 22, 2010, at 18:30:51
In reply to Re: Imipramine vs Desimpramine, posted by bearfan on May 22, 2010, at 18:20:43
> Would this explain why Venlafaxine is approved for all the anxiety disorder, while it's seconadry metabolite desvelafaxine (or Pristiq), isn't and has caused anxiety for many people?
No, both venlafaxine and desvenlafaxine can cause initial anxiety in some people. Both drugs can be effective for anxiety in the long term, however.
The reason that imipramine and amitriptyline may be more effective for anxiety than desipramine and nortriptyline is a) because they are more sedating and b) because they are more serotonergic.
Although imipramine is partly metabolised to desipramine in the body, imipramine itself also has substantial pharmacological activity, which is why it can be quite different to desipramine in clinical practice. This also applies to amitriptyline and nortriptyline. This does not apply to other psych medications however, it is only by chance that the metabolites of these two drugs are both more noradrenergic and less sedating than the parent compounds.
poster:ed_uk2010
thread:948247
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100514/msgs/948352.html