The story of modern tranquilliser drugs
Adam Doble, Ian L Martin, David Nutt in Calming the Brain: Benzodiazepines and related drugs from laboratory to clinic, 2020
Benzodiazepines were discovered quite serendipitously. Following on the heels of chlorpromazine, chemists at Hoffmann-La Roche in Basel were trying to develop new major tranquilliser drugs. Bromides are unsatisfactory sedatives and no longer used to any extent due to the availability of more suitable drugs. In contrast, certain antidepressant drugs which inhibit serotonin reuptake, such as venlafaxine, have demonstrated activity in generalised anxiety disorder, and have been approved for use in this indication. Buspirone has clear anxiolytic properties, but, unlike benzodi-azepines, has a delayed onset of action that makes it less interesting in this indication than benzodiazepine anxiolytics that act immediately. Long-acting barbiturates are still, however, sometimes used in the treatment of epilepsy, since benzodiazepines are not usually of lasting benefit in this indication. Long-acting barbiturates are, however, sometimes used in the treatment of epilepsy, since benzodiazepines are not usually of lasting benefit in this indication.
The Antidepressant Effects of
Scott Mendelson in Herbal Treatment of Major Depression, 2019
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) has never been seen as an illness solely of the mind and brain. Rather, various depression-like syndromes have been considered to be manifestations of more fundamental body-wide imbalances of Chi , or life energy. Unlike mainstream Western psychiatry, TCM has never considered MDD to be a single specific illness to be treated with a single class of medications. Another characteristic of TCM is seen in the fact that most of the ancient Chinese treatments of depression are combinations of herbs. One of the most fascinating and significant of events has been the use of modern neuroscience technology by Chinese scientists to evaluate the efficacy and determine the neurochemical mechanisms of action of the classical herbal remedies of TCM. A 2008 study in China found Yueju and venlafaxine to be quite similar in antidepressant effect in depressed patients, but with Yueju having fewer side effects.
Tricyclic Antidepressants
David Rosenberg, John Holttum, Neal Ryan, Samuel Gershon in Pocket Guide For Textbook Of Pharmocotherapy, 1998
The antidepressant drugs are a heterogenous group of compounds that, in adults, have been found to be effective in the treatment of major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and a variety of other conditions. In this section, we focus on the tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). Antidepressants of other classes, such as fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, fluvoxamine, venlafaxine, bupropion, trazodone, and nefazadone, are discussed in Chapter 5.
Seizure in venlafaxine overdose: a 10-year retrospective review of the California poison control system
Published in Clinical Toxicology, 2020
Kathy T. Vo, Andrew J. Merriman, Ralph C. Wang
Background: The optimal observation time period with respect to seizures after venlafaxine overdose is unclear. We conducted a 10-year retrospective review of calls to the California Poison Control System to describe the time of onset of seizures in adult and pediatric overdose of venlafaxine. Methods: Inclusion criteria included adult and pediatric patients with exposure to venlafaxine, who were admitted to a health care facility and who had at least one seizure. We did not exclude cases in which co-ingestions of other drugs were reported. Data extraction of a priori defined variables was recorded. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the cohort of patients, including means, medians, and interquartile ranges. Results: The total number of cases included in the data analysis was 123 (12.9% of all venlafaxine ingestions). The longest time to last seizure was 24 h. Twenty-five percent of participants had a seizure from hour 7 to 24 h. This did not differ significantly between IR and XR formulations. Conclusions: Optimal observation time with respect to seizures after overdose of immediate-release formulation of venlafaxine is 18 h (24 h if ingested with other medications), and 21 h for patients who are poisoned with the sustained-release formulation.
Venlafaxine Abuse in a Patient with Schizophrenia and Prior History of Substance Dependence: A Case Report
Published in Journal of Addictive Diseases, 2013
Venlafaxine is a serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor that is believed to have no abuse potential. Currently, 2 published case reports argue against this notion. This article describes a third case of venlafaxine abuse and the first in the literature on a patient with schizophrenia. This article will also review the literature on venlafaxine abuse and propose a pharmacological explanation for its abuse potential. Healthcare practitioners need to be cautious when prescribing venlafaxine and other neuromodulatory medications.
Venlafaxine and asthma
Published in Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 2005
Øyvind Melien, Tone Skaali, Kirsten Myhr, Odd Brørs
A 54-year-old man of Asian origin with major depression developed an asthma-like reaction during venlafaxine treatment. Two weeks after therapy was initiated, he experienced gradually worsening dry cough at night and periodically dyspnea during the daytime. After 5 weeks, clinical examination revealed marked signs of pulmonary obstruction and the forced expiratory volume (FEV1) was assessed to only 32% of the expected value. The venlafaxine medication was gradually decreased and eventually discontinued 9 weeks after its initiation, resulting in a successive improvement of the patient's respiratory complaints.
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