Posted by King Vultan on March 30, 2004, at 19:05:29
In reply to Desipramine, posted by jms600 on March 30, 2004, at 15:04:51
Desipramine is only very weakly anticholinergic (in absolute terms, its binding affinity for acetylcholine receptors is almost the same as Paxil), but it does have definite "anticholinergic-like" effects because it is a highly selective blocker of norepinephrine reuptake. Thus, side effects of constipation, dry mouth, and urinary hesitation are fairly common, but they are not as bad in severity as a drug that is truly anticholinergic such as amitriptyline or protriptyline.
Desipramine is the 2nd most activating tricyclic behind protriptyline and is a good choice IMO for patients suffering from fatigue, lack of motivation, etc. It is activating enough so that insomnia sometimes occurs, but this seems to be relatively mild. I found it to be a relatively effective antidepressant, but in my case, didn't provide everything I'm looking for (I am currently taking an MAOI).
Todd
poster:King Vultan
thread:330385
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040329/msgs/330496.html