Desipramine: what it is, what treatments it is used for, and side effects

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) depression is a fairly widespread mental disorder, establishing an estimate of 5% of cases in the adult stage worldwide, being also the main cause of disability. For this reason, various treatments have been investigated from the supply of medicines.

Desipramine is a psychotropic drug that is classified within the group of those drugs that are commonly known as "tricyclic antidepressants" (TCA) that is supplied orally, whose doses vary depending on each case; being effective in treating some cases of depression and other mood disorders, etc.

In this article we will see what desipramine is and what it is for, what are its side effects, and the therapeutic indications and precautions when consuming this psychotropic drug.

• Related article: "Psychopharmaceuticals: drugs that act on the brain"

tricyclic antidepressants

Before explaining in more detail what desipramine is, it is worth explaining how the drugs in the group of tricyclic antidepressants, named for their chemical structure that is made up of 3 rings

. They are psychopharmaceuticals that are responsible for non-selectively inhibiting the reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin by neurons presynaptic, so that thanks to this action the effects of these antidepressants can be kept active for longer in space synaptic.

It should be noted that tricyclic antidepressants also affect histamine and dopamine, so some side effects such as blurred vision, dizziness, hypotension, sedation, dry mouth, and even weight gain in the patient.

On the other hand, the effect of tricyclic antidepressants usually takes approximately 2 weeks to be observed, not being in the antidepressants of first choice for the treatment of depression, although they have proven their efficacy for it; however, there are more advanced antidepressants on the market such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) that have fewer side effects and are considered safer.

Still, tricyclic antidepressants, such as desipramine, are still prescribed in some cases due to their effectiveness demonstrated for various cases of depression, insomnia, eating disorders or for the Disorder Obsessive compulsive. So let's see how desipramine works.

• You may be interested: "Types of antidepressants: characteristics and effects"

Desipramine: what it is and what it is used for

Desipramine is an antidepressant psychotropic drug that is given orally, whose doses vary depending on the population group and the phase of treatment in which each patient is; usually the initial dose is less than the maintenance doses.

It should be noted that desipramine, like other psychoactive drugs, must be prescribed under the medical supervision of a specialist, being normally a psychiatrist who is in charge of these cases. Although this type of medication is also often prescribed by general practitioners due to the lack of mental health professionals that cause a long waiting list in healthcare public.

On the other hand, It is quite common for treatment with psychoactive drugs to be combined with psychological therapy. because psychotherapy has been shown to increase the effectiveness of treatments for mental disorders.

Desipramine Mechanism of Action

Desipramine, being a tricyclic antidepressant, It is mainly responsible for inhibiting the reuptake of norepinephrine and also serotonin; although there is more recent research that has found that this psychotropic drug can also cause a desensitization of alpha receptors or beta-adrenergic and also serotonin in the central nervous system (CNS) by blocking its reuptake by the neuronal membrane presynaptic

It has also been seen that the antidepressant action of desipramine correlates with changes in the characteristics of the receptors rather than neurotransmitter reuptake blockade, which could explain why there is no response therapy produced by the supply of this type of psychoactive drug until between 2 and 4 weeks have elapsed approximately.

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Pharmacokinetic action of desipramine

It should be noted that desipramine more rapidly absorbed when taken orally, reaching the highest plasma concentrations between 4 and 6 hours after intake; however, as we have already mentioned, its antidepressant effects do not begin to be observed until at least 2 weeks of treatment have elapsed.

Besides, desipramine has a half-life between 7 and 60 hours and it is mainly excreted via the kidneys (approximately 70% of this psychotropic drug) for several days.

On the other hand, about 90% of the ingested dose of desipramine is bound to blood plasma proteins and its metabolism is pronounced, being exclusively through the liver.

In the treatment of what disorders is it applied?

Desipramine is an antidepressant psychopharmaceutical that can be used in the treatment of various disorders, such as those that we are going to comment on below.

1. Depression and other mood disorders

Desipramine, like other antidepressants, has proven its effectiveness in treating certain depressive conditions such as major depression, and has even served to address some cases of dysthymia, atypical depression and bipolar disorders (in the depressive phase).

And it is that in investigations carried out with this psychotropic drug it has been observed that it makes modifications in some areas of the brain whose function it is related to the processing of information received from the environment, so that thanks to this it can help reduce symptoms depressives

• You may be interested: "Major depression: symptoms, causes and treatment"

2. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Desipramine has been shown to be effective in decrease some symptoms of ADHD in children and adolescents who have difficulties in terms of their attentional capacity and who also present behaviors of psychomotor restlessness.

• You may be interested: "Types of ADHD (characteristics, causes and symptoms)"

3. neuropathic pain

Desipramine can also be effective in the treatment of some neuropathic pain. by acting on those areas associated with pain receptors that have been affected by some lesions in the central nervous system, and it has been possible to demonstrate that these psychopharmaceuticals can produce improvements against conditions of this type.

4. cocaine detox

Desipramine can be prescribed in cases of cocaine detoxification in order to reduce withdrawal symptoms such as the strong desire to use the drug again and also the depression and/or anxiety that it can cause.

• Related article: "How is the treatment of cocaine addiction?"

What dose of desipramine is recommended to give?

The dose of desipramine that is recommended to be administered depends on various factors such as age or the condition that is intended to be treated, so it can vary a lot from one case to another; however, some general indications can be mentioned depending on age.

In adults, the suggested dose of desipramine is a maximum of 200 milligrams per day., and must be dosed between 2 or 3 intakes of 25-50 milligrams.

In the case of elderly patients, it is normally recommended that doses do not exceed 100 milligrams daily, and should be divided into 2 or 3 intakes of 25-50 milligrams; while in the case of children (over 6 years of age) there are no recommended dose parameters, due to that in these cases it is less common for it to be prescribed and it would depend on each case and the specialist who has done the diagnosis.

As we have already seen, in all cases this type of drug must be consumed under prescription and medical supervision, following the guidelines that the professional has strictly stipulated.

Precautions to be taken with desipramine

There are a series of precautions that must be taken into account when administering this psychotropic drug, according to with the indications of experts in the field, since this substance can cause side effects harmful.

• This psychotropic drug is not recommended for children under 6 years of age.
• People with any type of psychosis should not take desipramine because it could worsen their symptoms.
• People with thyroid disease or seizure disorder should take precautions.
• It is contraindicated for people with severe liver disease.
• It is contraindicated for people with bipolar disorder when they are in the manic phase.
• This medicine should not be consumed while breastfeeding or during pregnancy.
• People with hypersensitivity to desipramine or imipramine should also not take this drug.

In any case, a specialist should always be consulted before taking any psychotropic drug And if you have any type of condition like the ones we have just mentioned, it is important that your doctor or psychiatrist knows about it before prescribing desipramine or any psychoactive drug.

Possible Side Effects of Desipramine

Normally when taking desipramine, if it has been prescribed by a professional having correctly carried out a evaluation and the corresponding diagnosis, and in turn the patient does not exceed the prescribed doses, there is usually no complications; however, in some cases there could be some side effects and, therefore, it is important to know what they could be.

Therefore, we are going to list the side effects of desipramine below:

• Headaches.
• Drowsiness.
• Fatigue.
• dizziness
• Nausea.
• Soft spot.
• Difficulty urinating.
• Excessive sweating.
• Noticeable weight gain or loss.
• Fever.
• Blurry vision.
• Constipation.
• Throat pain.
• rashes
• Irregular heartbeat.
• Lack of psychomotor coordination.
• seizures
• Muscle spasms.
• dry mouth
• Changes in appetite.
• Difficulty speaking.
• Yellowing of the eyes or skin.

If there were any side effects such as those mentioned above, that person you should seek urgent medical assistance to be helped by a professional.