imipramine

[db0255]

I've heard relatively little if anything, on this forum about imipramine. It's certainly effective for depression, especially melancholics. What's the deal? Does it get a rep on here as an old school sugar pill?

[jim_morrison]

It's effective for depression, certainly, but apparently not so much for social phobia, plus the side effect profile generally sucks compared to some other antidepressants, ie theres alot of anticholinergic, antiadrenergic, antihistaminergic side effects, and also probly because doctors view it as less safe since it has a relatively narrow theraputic index, since its toxic dose is only about 5-10 times higher than the theraputic dose.

[arth67]

its a tricyclic type AD, seldom used much nowdays, unless all the more modern types havent helped

[JimiPePPeroni]

its a tricyclic type AD, seldom used much nowdays, unless all the more modern types havent helped

Doesn't Effexor work the same way as TCA's when taken in higher doses (150mg and above)?

[jim_morrison]

Originally Posted by JimiPePPeroni

Doesn't Effexor work the same way as TCA's when taken in higher doses (150mg and above)?

The way in which it effects the reuptake of serotonin and noradrenaline at doses above 150 mg sort of makes effexor similair to a combination of an SSRI and a TCA, in terms of theraputic effect, but even that is sort of just a narrow view thrown around by doctors, since the theraputic effects of TCA's may also be leant to from other receptors that they hit.

However structurally effexor has no relation to TCA's and lacks most of the anticholinergic etc side effects that TCA's are known for.