Drug InfoNet - Desimpramine

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Doctors' Answers to "Frequently Asked Questions" - Desimpramine

These comments are made for the purpose of discussion and should NOT be used as recommendations for or against therapies or other treatments. An individual patient is always advised to consult their own physician.

[posted 10/15/1999]
Question: I have been taking Vicoprofen for Fibromyalgia pain since February. Recently Desipramine was prescribed in attempt to help me achieve Delta sleep. I am now developing a problem with my mouth, tongue and throat feeling very sore and raw. Is this a reaction to one of the meds, or an interaction, or is it more related to the FMS? Can it be prevented? How can I best treat it? I have tried Peroxyl (a peroxide/oxygenated mouthwash), which is a palliative, but doesn't "make it go away." Obviously, this is very uncomfortable, and I would appreciate your help. Thank you. DFord

Answer: Desipramine is notorious for causing dry mouth, probably the problem. Won't go away until you stop the desipramine.

Despiramine [posted 1/5/99]
Question:I would like some information on the drug desimprimine in treating ADHD.

Answer: Not a drug that I use for this indication. You might contact the scientific dept of Hoechst-Marion Roussel: 800-552-3656.

Despiramine
Question: Do you have any information on desipramine, and its both positive and negative uses?

Answer: Desimpramine (brand name Norpramin) is a tri-cyclic antidepressant. These have been used for about twenty years for endogenous depression. The mode of action of this drug is not clear, but appears to work on reuptake of diffeeroi neurotransmitters. Tri-cyclics are good drugs in depression, but are limited by the time of onset (3 weeks or more) and by their side effects (mainly drowsiness). As a consequence, they are sometimes used as sleeping aids and also in the treatment of chronic pain - neither approved by the FDA but both common uses. Other uses include migraine prevention - very effective in some patients - also not an approved use. The major problem of this class of drugs is the potential for cardiac irregularities. An overdose of this drug is very hard to correct and often leads to death. Some patients experience irregular heart beats with "usual" doses and it is a drug to be avoided with anesthesia for this reason. There are other side effects like constipation and dry mouth- sometimes limiting in this drug’s use.

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