Posted by JohnX2 on October 31, 2001, at 4:49:52
In reply to Thanks Sunnely!, posted by Daveman on October 29, 2001, at 22:16:01
Paxil is actually going to be one of the
last to go off patent from the SSRI's.It will be interesting to see if the new
celexa lives up to its claims.If the article was technical heres a simple explanation.
Basically any chemical can have what is called
stereoisomers. These are 2 different versions
of the same chemical with the same formula,weight,
etc. But they are mirror images. Kind of like
superman and bizarro superman. The 2 isomers
(sometimes called levo or dextro), often have
radically different therapeutic qualities.
The chemicals are mirror images, if you looked
at there structures in a mirror they would fit
identically (like if you put your two hands
together). But obviously your left hand is not
the same as your right hand (hence the difference).
Other chemicals dont have this properties. Suppose
we compared two tennis balls. They are mirror images
and they are one in the same, hence no stereo-isomers.One example is dextro-amphetamine which will have a
pro-dopaminergic stimulant effect. But its mirror
image levo-amphetamine does not have such a strong
effect.Eli-Lilly tried this with Prozac (weeding out the
inactive isomer in hopes to reduce side effects), but
if my memory serves me correct it didn't help much.Anyways, with all these anti-depressants coming
off patent, guess what, the race to come out
with improved versions is accelerated by the
pharmaceutical manufacturer's!-john
> Thanks for posting that article! It was a bit technical but basically answered my question. I'm surprised to hear that Celexa is going generic soon; I thought it was newer than Paxil. I'm sure my insurance plan will be glad to hear it:)
>
> Dave
poster:JohnX2
thread:82129
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011025/msgs/82740.html