Posted by King Vultan on March 4, 2004, at 9:31:47
In reply to Stupid Question, posted by AnnC on March 4, 2004, at 8:10:09
> Does Paxil actually contian a sedative (in addition to the SSRI) or is the sedation strictly a side effect?
No, the sedation is an intrinsic property of the molecule. I don't believe it's related to any of the conventional blockades that psychotropic drugs can have, either, such as blocking histamine receptors, which the tricyclics all have and is responsible for much of their sedation.As another example, Vivactil (protriptyline) is the most stimulating of the tricylics despite having a pharmacological profile halfway in between nortriptyline and desipramine, which are both more sedating. Again, this is just a natural property somehow related to the structure of the protriptyline molecule. No separate stimulating agent is added to the formulation.
Todd
poster:King Vultan
thread:320055
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040304/msgs/320086.html