Imipraminoxide
Encyclopedia
Imipraminoxide or imipramine N-oxide, is a tricyclic antidepressant
(TCA) that was introduced in Europe
in the 1960s for the treatment of depression.
Imipraminoxide is both an analogue and a metabolite
of imipramine
, and has similar effects. However, in clinical trial
s, imipraminoxide was found to have a faster onset of action, slightly higher efficacy, and fewer and less marked side effect
s, including diminished orthostatic hypotension
and anticholinergic
effects like dry mouth, sweating
, dizziness
, and fatigue.
Imipraminoxide's pharmacology
has not been well elucidated, but based on its very close relationship with imipramine, it likely acts as a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor
and serotonin, adrenenaline
, histamine
, and muscarinic acetylcholine receptor
antagonist
, though with weaker antiadrenergic and anticholinergic
actions.
Tricyclic antidepressant
Tricyclic antidepressants are heterocyclic chemical compounds used primarily as antidepressants. The TCAs were first discovered in the early 1950s and were subsequently introduced later in the decade; they are named after their chemical structure, which contains three rings of atoms...
(TCA) that was introduced in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in the 1960s for the treatment of depression.
Imipraminoxide is both an analogue and a metabolite
Metabolite
Metabolites are the intermediates and products of metabolism. The term metabolite is usually restricted to small molecules. A primary metabolite is directly involved in normal growth, development, and reproduction. Alcohol is an example of a primary metabolite produced in large-scale by industrial...
of imipramine
Imipramine
Imipramine , also known as melipramine, is an antidepressant medication, a tricyclic antidepressant of the dibenzazepine group...
, and has similar effects. However, in clinical trial
Clinical trial
Clinical trials are a set of procedures in medical research and drug development that are conducted to allow safety and efficacy data to be collected for health interventions...
s, imipraminoxide was found to have a faster onset of action, slightly higher efficacy, and fewer and less marked side effect
Side effect
In medicine, a side effect is an effect, whether therapeutic or adverse, that is secondary to the one intended; although the term is predominantly employed to describe adverse effects, it can also apply to beneficial, but unintended, consequences of the use of a drug.Occasionally, drugs are...
s, including diminished orthostatic hypotension
Orthostatic hypotension
Orthostatic hypotension, also known as postural hypotension, orthostasis, and colloquially as head rush or dizzy spell, is a form of hypotension in which a person's blood pressure suddenly falls when the person stands up or stretches. The decrease is typically greater than 20/10 mm Hg, and may be...
and anticholinergic
Anticholinergic
An anticholinergic agent is a substance that blocks the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the central and the peripheral nervous system. An example of an anticholinergic is dicycloverine, and the classic example is atropine....
effects like dry mouth, sweating
Sweating
Perspiration is the production of a fluid consisting primarily of water as well as various dissolved solids , that is excreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals...
, dizziness
Dizziness
Dizziness refers to an impairment in spatial perception and stability. The term is somewhat imprecise. It can be used to mean vertigo, presyncope, disequilibrium, or a non-specific feeling such as giddiness or foolishness....
, and fatigue.
Imipraminoxide's pharmacology
Pharmacology
Pharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...
has not been well elucidated, but based on its very close relationship with imipramine, it likely acts as a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor
Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor
A norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor or adrenergic reuptake inhibitor , is a type of drug which acts as a reuptake inhibitor for the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and epinephrine by blocking the action of the norepinephrine transporter...
and serotonin, adrenenaline
Adrenergic receptor
The adrenergic receptors are a class of metabotropic G protein-coupled receptors that are targets of the catecholamines, especially noradrenaline and adrenaline ....
, histamine
Histamine receptor
The histamine receptors are a class of G protein-coupled receptors with histamine as their endogenous ligand.There are four known histamine receptors:*H1 receptor*H2 receptor*H3 receptor*H4 receptor-Comparison:...
, and muscarinic acetylcholine receptor
Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor
Muscarinic receptors, or mAChRs, are acetylcholine receptors that form G protein-coupled in the plasma membranes of certain neurons and other cells...
antagonist
Receptor antagonist
A receptor antagonist is a type of receptor ligand or drug that does not provoke a biological response itself upon binding to a receptor, but blocks or dampens agonist-mediated responses...
, though with weaker antiadrenergic and anticholinergic
Anticholinergic
An anticholinergic agent is a substance that blocks the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the central and the peripheral nervous system. An example of an anticholinergic is dicycloverine, and the classic example is atropine....
actions.