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Travivo (Gepirone ER) For Depression & Anxiety

Travivo (Gepirone ER) is a pharmaceutical medication of the “azapirone” classification exhibiting a combination of anxiolytic, antidepressant, and libido-enhancing properties, similar to the drug Buspar (Buspirone).  It was originally synthesized in 1986 by the company Bristol-Myers Squibb, and its licensing rights were acquired by the company Fabre-Kramer in 1993.  In 1998, Fabre-Kramer out-licensed Gepirone to …

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Buspar (Buspirone) For Depression: Exploring The Antidepressant Potential

Buspar (Buspirone) is a drug of the azapirone chemical classification that was engineered and patented in the 1970s by Mead Johnson.  It was later acquired by the pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb and approved by the FDA in 1986 for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).  What’s unique about buspirone compared to other anxiolytics such …

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Whole-Body Hyperthermia For Depression: Turning Up The Heat To Enhance Mood?

Hyperthermia is defined as supraphysiological body temperature resulting from absorption and/or production of more heat than is dispelled.  Medically, local hyperthermia is often used as an adjunct to radiation and/or chemotherapy for the treatment of cancers.  It is thought that deliberate induction of hyperthermia to a cancerous region of the body increases the sensitivity of …

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Pindolol For Depression: A Useful Antidepressant Adjunct?

Pindolol is a beta blocker initially synthesized by the pharmaceutical company Sandoz in the 1960s.  As of 1977 it received FDA approval for the management of hypertension and was sold under the brand name “Visken.”  Pharmacologically, pindolol acts as a non-selective beta blocker, meaning it competitively binds to all 3 beta-adrenergic receptor sites (Beta-1, Beta-2, …

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Phentermine For Depression: Does It Improve Mood?

Phentermine is a sympathomimetic amine [derived from amphetamine] initially approved by the FDA in 1959 for the treatment of obesity.  Its usage in the treatment of obesity was considered ideal due to the fact that phentermine suppressed appetite through central modulation of norepinephrine, and peripherally mobilized fat stores through catecholaminergic upregulation. That said, in the …

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Nortriptyline For Migraines: An Alternative Prophylactic

Nortriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) that was initially FDA approved in 1964 (under the brand name “Pamelor”) for the treatment of major depression.  It is regarded as chemical successor to Amitriptyline based on the fact that Nortriptyline is Amitriptyline’s predominant psychoactive metabolite.  Since Nortriptyline has been on the market since the mid-1960s, researchers are …

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Amitriptyline For Migraines: An Effective Prophylactic Agent

Amitriptyline (brand name “Elavil”) is a medication that was initially approved by the FDA in 1961 for the treatment of major depressive disorder.  Due to its three-ring chemical structure, it is formally classified as a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA).  Though not formally approved in the United States to treat conditions other than major depression, Amitriptyline is …

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