Posted by Elizabeth on April 17, 1999, at 23:13:48
In reply to Re: Lofepramine and tricyclics, posted by saintjames on April 16, 1999, at 0:13:56
As has been pointed out, lofepramine is safe and nontoxic compared to other cyclic ADs, with few side effects and relative safety in overdose. The main (only, actually) bad thing I've heard about it is that sometimes it's been known to cause liver damage (I don't think this is very common, though).
The dirtiness of most tricyclics resides in their
affinity for histaminic, muscarinic cholinergic,
and alpha1-adrenergic receptors - resulting in
sedation, constipation, dry mouth, urinary retention, blurred vision, rapid heartbeat, cognitive impairment, orthostatic hypotension - you get the idea. Lofepramine lacks most of these side effects, so I wouldn't call it a dirty drug.I think that it's not so much a question of one type of antidepressant working better than another, as some types being indicated for different depressions. It's still a tricky business deciding when to use what, though!
poster:Elizabeth
thread:4802
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19991108/msgs/5008.html