Antidepressants:

Antidepressants: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antidepressants

An antidepressant, is a psychiatric medication or other substance (nutrient or herb) used for alleviating depression or dysthymia ('milder' depression).

Drug groups known as MAOIs, tricyclics and SSRIs are particularly associated with the term.

These medications are now amongst the drugs most commonly prescribed by psychiatrists and general practitioners, and their effectiveness and adverse effects are the subject of many studies and competing claims.

An example of an herbal remedy that is an antidepressant is St John's Wort.

Nutrients that are antidepressants include phenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan, 5-Hydroxytryptophan, and choline.

Most antidepressants have a delayed onset of action and are usually taken over the course of weeks, months or years.

They are generally considered distinct from stimulants, and drugs used for an immediate euphoric effect only are not generally considered antidepressants.

Despite the name, antidepressants are often used in the treatment of other conditions, including anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders and chronic pain.

Some have also become known as lifestyle drugs or \"mood brighteners\".

Other medications not known as antidepressants, including antipsychotics in low doses[1] and benzodiazepines,[2] are also widely used to manage depression.

The term antidepressant is sometimes applied to any therapy (e.g. psychotherapy, electro-convulsive therapy, acupuncture) or process (e.g. sleep disruption, increased light levels, regular exercise) found to improve clinically depressed mood.

An inert placebo tends to have a significant antidepressant effect, so establishing something as an antidepressant in a clinical trial involves demonstrating a significant additional effect.

What Are Antidepressants?: www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinformatio...antidepressants.aspx

Antidepressants are drugs that relieve the symptoms of depression.

They were first developed in the 1950s and have been used regularly since then.

There are almost thirty different kinds of antidepressants available today and there are four main types:

*Tricyclics
*MAOIs (Monoamine oxidase inhibitors)
*SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors)
*SNRIs (Serotonin and Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors)

Leaflets Department - The Royal College of Psychiatrists: www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinformatio...antidepressants.aspx

Post edited by: Scott_1984, at: 2007/10/20 06:16

What Are Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)?:

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSRI

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a class of antidepressants used in the treatment of depression, anxiety disorders, and some personality disorders. They are also typically effective and used in treating premature ejaculation problems.

SSRIs increase the extracellular level of the neurotransmitter serotonin by inhibiting its reuptake into the presynaptic cell, increasing the level of serotonin available to bind to the postsynaptic receptor.

They have varying degrees of selectivity for the other monoamine transporters, having little binding affinity for the noradrenaline and dopamine transporters.

The first class of psychotropic drugs to be rationally designed, SSRIs are the most widely prescribed antidepressants in many countries.[1]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSRI#List_of_SSRIs

What Is Fluoxetine - Prozac?:

Fluoxetine - Prozac: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prozac

Fluoxetine hydrochloride (Prozac) is an antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class.

Fluoxetine is approved for the treatment of depression (including pediatric depression), obsessive-compulsive disorder (in both adult and pediatric populations), bulimia nervosa, panic disorder and premenstrual dysphoric disorder.[1] Other indications include hypochondriasis and body dysmorphic disorder.

Despite the availability of newer agents, it remains extremely popular.

Over 23.1 million prescriptions for generic formulations of fluoxetine were filled in the United States in 2006, making it the third most prescribed antidepressant.[2]

History: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prozac#History

According to David Wong,[3] the work which eventually led to the discovery of fluoxetine began at Eli Lilly in 1970 as a collaboration between Bryan Molloy and Robert Rathburn.

It was known at that time that antihistamine diphenhydramine shows some antidepressant-like properties. 3-Phenoxy-3-phenylpropylamine, a compound structurally similar to diphenhydramine, was taken as a starting point, and Molloy synthesized dozens of its derivatives.

Testing the physiological effects of these compounds in mice resulted in nisoxetine, a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor currently widely used in biochemical experiments.[3]

Later, hoping to find a derivative inhibiting only serotonin reuptake, Wong proposed to re-test the series for the in-vitro reuptake of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine.

This test, carried out by Jong-Sir Horng in May 1972,[3] showed the compound later named fluoxetine to be the most potent and selective inhibitor of serotonin reuptake of the series.[4]

A controversy ensued after Lilly researchers published a paper entitled \"Prozac (fluoxetine, Lilly 110140), the first selective serotonin uptake inhibitor and an antidepressant drug\"[3] implicitly claiming fluoxetine to be the first selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI).

Two years later they had to issue a correction, admitting that the first SSRI was zimelidine developed by Arvid Carlsson and colleagues.[5]

(However, unlike its successful cousin, zimelidine was banned worldwide because of serious side effects.) Fluoxetine was the third SSRI on the market. Fluvoxamine (Luvox) had been marketed in Europe since 1983.

Fluoxetine made its appearance on the Belgian market in 1986[6] and was approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States in December 1987.[7]

Eli Lilly's patent on Prozac (fluoxetine) expired in August, 2001,[8] prompting an influx of generic drugs onto the market.

The Official Site For Fluoxetine - Prozac Information: www.fluoxetine.com

www.prozac.com

PROZAC is one of the world's most widely prescribed antidepressants; it has been prescribed for more than 54 million people worldwide.

Chances are, someone you know is getting better because of it.

Learn more about how PROZAC works to make you better, so that you can know what to expect while you work toward your recovery.

Cipralex - Escitalopram: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cipralex & en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escitalopram

Escitalopram (Lexapro, Lexaprin, Cipralex, Sipralexa, Entact and Seroplex)[1] is an antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class.

It is approved for the treatment of major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder; other indications include social anxiety disorder, panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Escitalopram is the S-stereoisomer (enantiomer) of the earlier Lundbeck drug citalopram (Celexa), hence the name escitalopram.

Escitalopram is noted for its high selectivity of serotonin reuptake inhibition and, as a result has fewer side effects not related to its serotonergic activity.[2]

The drug is marketed in the United States under the name Lexapro by Forest Laboratories and elsewhere under various brand names by Lundbeck.

History: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escitalopram#History & en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cipralex#History

Escitalopram was developed in a close cooperation between Lundbeck and Forest Laboratories.

Its development was initiated in the summer of 1997, and the resulting new drug application was submitted to the FDA in March 2001.

The short time (3.5 years) it took to develop escitalopram can be attributed to the previous extensive experience of Lundbeck and Forest with citalopram, which has similar pharmacology.[3]

The FDA issued the approval of escitalopram for major depression in August 2002 and for generalized anxiety disorder in December 2003.

Escitalopram can be considered an example of \"lifecycle management\"[4] - the strategy pharmaceutical companies use in order to extend the lifetime of a drug, in this case of the citalopram franchise.

Escitalopram is an enantiomer of citalopram, used for the same indication, and for that reason it required less investment and less time to develop.

Two years after escitalopram's launch, when the patent on citalopram expired, the escitalopram sales successfully made up for the loss.

On May 23, 2006, the FDA approved a generic version of escitalopram by Teva.[5]

However, on July 14th, 2006 the US District Court of Delaware decided in favor of Lundbeck regarding the patent infringement dispute and ruled the patent on escitalopram valid.[6]

Despite the drug's similarity, preclinical as well as various clinical studies (including double-blinded studies—considered the gold standard of clinical evidence) have shown differentiated effects of citalopram and escitalopram[7] as well as a clinical superiority compared to a variety of other SSRIs, such as paroxetine[8] especially in severely depressed patients and sertraline.

Compared to newer serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors such as venlafaxine[9] and duloxetine[10] escitalopram was shown to be at least as effective.

Cipralex - Escitalopram Offical Website: www.cipralex.com & www.lexapro.com