Posted by jannbeau on July 23, 2002, at 13:01:39
In reply to Re: Apo-fluvoxamine vs. Effexor XR, posted by xena on July 23, 2002, at 11:21:09
> Hi, Zena--no question is moronic. Some are more complex than others, that's all!
Effexor and Luvox are not directly comparable with respect to "potency." Potency is a pharmacological term defined as the amount of any substance it takes to produce the same effect to the same degree. For instance, if it takes 10 milligrams of Paxil to increase the amount of time that one molecule of serotonin stays in the synaptic cleft by 1 second and it takes 100 mg of Prozac to do the same, then Paxil is 10 times as potent as Prozac. Effexor and Luvox are different drugs that may have different spectra of effects.
I suspect that the question you are trying to ask is "which of these drugs is more effecacious in treating depression/anxiety?" Efficacy is the ability of a drug to treat the problem for which it is prescribed. Efficacy is not synonymous with potency, and the answer to the question is probably more complex than the "potency" question and will depend, to some degree, upon your problem. Most of the time, with the CNS drugs, finding the right drug may be more trial and error than when prescribing an antibiotic, for instance. You may have to try more than one medication or a combination of meds to get the result you need.
Hope this info has helped.
jannbeau
Yes I am Canadian. And at the risk of sounding like a total moron, I am more confused than ever. Is one drug more potent than the other, if so, which one? Thanks for your patience.
poster:jannbeau
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020718/msgs/113416.html