Fenfluramine activation

Soloff, P.H., Meltzer, C.C., Greer, P.J., Constantine, D., and Kelly, T.M. (2000) A fenfluramine-activated FDG-PET study of borderline personality disorder. Biol Psychiatry 47 540-547. 

Fenfluramine activity Paradoxically decreased (in mice) Silbergeld and Goldberg, 1975... 

One might also speculate that PCA would have an effect similar to MDMA. Indeed, the early clinical data for PCA suggested that it possessed antidepressant activity (Verster and Van Praag 1970). This would suggest that the human psychopharmacology of PCA may well be closer to that of MDMA than fenfluramine, but it is unlikely that clinical studies can be carried out to study this. 

When administered in doses higher than 12 mg/kg/day, depletions of 5-HT and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) last up to 6 months after cessation of drug treatment (Harvey and McMaster 1975 Harvey et al. 1977 Clineschmidt et al. 1978 Steranka and Sanders-Bush 1979 Schuster et al. 1986 Kleven et al. 1988). Other long-lasting effects of fenfluramine include a decrease in 5-HT uptake sites (Schuster et al. 1986) and tryptophan hydroxylase activity (Steranka and Sanders-Bush 1979). 

Fenfluramine and its active isomere dexfenflu-ramine act by stimulating the release of serotonin and inhibiting its re-uptake. Dexfenluramine lacks the amphetamine-like properties of the racemic mixture which are due to L-fenfluramine. Both isomers have antiobesity activity but they were taken from the market, at least in several Western countries, because of rare but very serious cardiotoxicity. 

Meyer JH, Swinson R, Kennedy SH (2000) Increased left posterior parietal-temporal cortex activation after D-fenfluramine in women with panic disorder. Psychiatry Res 98 133-143... 

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