INTRODUCTION Desvenlafaxine, the active metabolite of venlafaxine, is a serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) recently approved for the treatment of major depressive disorder. It is one of only three medications in this class available in the United States. AIMS The objective of this article is to review the published evidence for the safety and efficacy of desvenlafaxine, and to...

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors are effective in the treatment of bulimia nervosa. There have been relatively few studies of the efficacy of specific serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors in the treatment of eating disorders. Twenty-five outpatients with binge eating episodes, diagnosed as anorexia nervosa, binge-eating/purging...

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common and serious illness of our times, associated with monoamine deficiency in the brain. Moreover, increased levels of cortisol, possibly caused by stress, may be related to depression. In the treatment of MDD, the use of older antidepressants such as monoamine oxidase inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants is decreasing rapidly, mainly due to their adv...

Poor micturition control may cause profound distress, because proper voiding is mandatory for an active social life. Micturition results from the subtle interplay of central and peripheral components. It involves the coordination of autonomic and neuromuscular activity at the brainstem level, under the executive control of the prefrontal cortex. We tested the hypothesis that administration of m...

Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent psychiatric disorders. There is a high comorbidity between anxiety (especially generalized anxiety disorders or panic disorders) and depressive disorders or between anxiety disorders, which renders treatment more complex. Current guidelines do not recommend benzodiazepines as first-line treatments due to their potential side effects. Selective serotonin ...

This article provides an empirical review of the elements and efficacy of both pharmacologic and psychosocial treatments for panic disorder. Both monotherapies and combination treatment strategies are considered. The available evidence suggests that both cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and pharmacotherapy (prominently, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or serotonin-norepinephrine reupt...

Depression and sexual dysfunction are both common in the general population. When they co-exist they have the potential to impact negatively on each other in a bidirectional manner. Medication used to treat depression may cause additional problems with the sexual response cycle; although no drug is completely innocent, serotonergic agents such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) ...

Objective To examine the association between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Design Population based case-control study. Setting General practices included in the UK general practice research database. Subjects 1651 incident cases of upper gastrointestinal bleeding and 248 cases of ulcer perforation among patients aged 40 to 79 years between ...

Depression and sexual dysfunction are both common in the general population. When they co-exist they have the potential to impact negatively on each other in a bidirectional manner. Medication used to treat depression may cause additional problems with the sexual response cycle; although no drug is completely innocent, serotonergic agents such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) ...

With treatment to remission as the gold standard for depression treatment, there is considerable reassessment of treatment approaches with the view to finding and employing agents capable of rapidly eliminating all symptoms and returning patients to normalcy. The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), the most commonly prescribed antidepressants, have a single-action mechanism involve...