Posted by bodhisattva_guy on February 10, 2011, at 2:09:37
In reply to Re: Switch from Effexor IR to Cymbalta, posted by bodhisattva_guy on February 10, 2011, at 1:04:23
please let me rephrase:
Venlafaxine (Effexor) and Desvenlafaxine (brand name: Pristiq) have are almost the same. Main difference is that 50 mg of Pristiq is good enough for initiation and maintenance. (I suppose it's due to it's much longer half life and t[max]).
Something interesting: at lower doses venlafaxine acts on serotonin and higher doses (225 mg and up) causes stronger effect on NE receptors.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desvenlafaxine
Desvenlafaxine is a synthetic form of the isolated major active metabolite of venlafaxine, and is categorized as a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). It works by blocking the transporter "reuptake" proteins for key neurotransmitters affecting mood, thereby leaving more active neurotransmitters in the synapse. The neurotransmitters affected are serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline). It is approximately 10 times more potent at inhibiting serotonin uptake than norepinephrine uptake. When most normal metabolizers take venlafaxine - 70% of the benefit comes from venlafaxine being metabolized into desvenlafaxine so the effects are very similar.[11] Desvenlafaxine is related to the atypical opioids Tramadol(Ultram) and Tapentadol(Nucynta).
poster:bodhisattva_guy
thread:978754
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20110130/msgs/979041.html