Nefazodone Desipramine

Antidepressants Desipramine, imipramine, sertraline, fluoxetine, paroxetine, venlafaxine, bupropion, nefazodone, mirtazapine, gepirone, amineptine Mixed findings suggest that better designed studies may find a niche for some of these drugs. Amineptine was effective for withdrawal symptoms. 

Those who fail to respond to an SSRI may respond to a TCA, and vice versa. Thus, these two broad-spectrum classes can be used in a sequential strategy to adequately treat the majority of cases. However, many physicians try another newer antidepressant (e.g, venlafaxine, bupropion, nefazodone) in such patients because of the safety and tolerability problems associated with TCAs. Of note, the tolerability profile of secondary amine TCAs such as desipramine is as favorable as any of the newer antidepressants and probably better than nefazodone. Nevertheless, the secondary amine TCAs have a therapeutic index as narrow as tertiary amine TCAs (e.g., amitriptyline, imipramine) in terms of lethality in overdoses resulting from cardiotoxicity. 

OFFICIAL NAMES Amitriptyline (Elavil), amoxapine (Asendin), bupropion (Wellbutrin), citalopram (Celexa), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Sinequan), fluoxetine (Prozac), imipramine (Norfranil, Tofranil), isocarboxazid (Marplan), maprotiline (Ludiomil), mirtazapine (Remeron), nefazodone (Serzone), nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor), paroxetine (Paxil), phenelzine (Nardil), protriptyline (Vivactil), sertraline (Zoloft), thioridazine (Mellaril), tranylcypromine (Parnate), trazodone (Desyrel), trimipramine (Sur-montil), venlafaxine (Effexor) the herb St. John s wort (Hypericum perforatum) is sold over-the-counter without prescription STREET NAMES Happy pills... 

The older tricyclic agents show less than a ten-fold selectivity in inhibiting noradrenaline over that for 5-HT (e.g. desipramine, imipramine, nortriptyline) through amitryptyline. which shows virtually no selectivity, to trazodone, zimelidine and clomipramine, which are somewhat 5-HT selective. The newer Serotonin-Selective Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) show a higher selectivity for inhibition of 5-HT reuptake in the brain, and have a different pharmacology. Examples clinically used include citalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, nefazodone, paroxetine, sertraline, trazodone and venlafaxine. Experimental agents include 6-nitroquipazine, alaproclate, litoxetine, indatraline and p-CIT. 

Clinically important, potentially hazardous interactions with amitriptyline, amoxapine, bupropion, citalopram, clomipramine, desipramine, doxepin, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, imipramine, meperidine, nefazodone, nortriptyline, paroxetine, pizotifen, protriptyline, rizatriptan, sertraline, sibutramine, sumatriptan, trimipramine, tryptophan, venlafaxine, zolmitriptan... 

HT, antagonist with antidepressant activity (123) it binds with high affinity (if < 10 nM) at 5-HT, receptors (124). Hence, trazodone (24), nefazodone (16), and mianserin (27) represent atypical antidepressants that have in common a high affinity for S-HTgA receptors and S-HTg antagonist action. It might be noted that certain tricyclic antidepressants also bind at 5-HT, receptors imipramine (11), desipramine (6), nortriptyline (17), and maprotiline (13), for example, bind with submicromolar Ki values (124) (Table 8.6). 

An isolated report describes a woman who developed marked and acute hypotension and weakness when desipramine, fluoxetine and venlafaxine were replaced by nefazodone. Isolated cases describe the serotonin syndrome in patients given nefazodone together, or sequentially, with another serotonei c drug (amitriptyline, paroxetine, St John s wort, or trazodone). The manufacturer recommended that nefazodone should not be used with an MAOI or within 14 days of discontinuing an MAOL Note that, due to adverse hepatic effects nefazodone was widely withdrawn from the market. 

Desipramine. The manufacturer of nefazodone reported that desipramine 75 mg daily did not change the pharmacokinetics of nefazodone 150 mg twice daily, but levels of the nefazodone metabolite, meta-chlorophenyl-piperazine, were increased by up to 50%. There was no change in the pharmacokinetics of desipramine or its metabolite. No specific dosage adjustments were said to be required on concurrent use. ... 

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