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Analgesic activity of tricyclic antidepressants
Author(s) -
Spiegel Katharyn,
Kalb Robert,
Pasternak Gavril W.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.410130418
Subject(s) - tricyclic , analgesic , medicine , tricyclic antidepressant , anesthesia , pharmacology , psychiatry , antidepressant , anxiety
Abstract Amitriptyline (median effective dose {ED 50 } 1.2 mg per kilogram of body weight), imipramine (ED 50 2.3 mg/kg), and their demethylated derivatives nortriptyline (ED 50 1.9 mg/kg) and desimipramine (ED 50 3.2 mg/kg) are active analgesics as indicated by the mouse writhing assay. Although not as potent as morphine (ED 50 0.2 mg/kg), the antidepressants were up to 70 times more potent than aspirin (ED 50 91 mg/kg). The actions of amitriptyline were not affected by the specific opiate antagonist naloxone but were markedly attenuated in animals whose monoamine levels had been depleted with reserpine. Central mechanisms appear important since amitriptyline (ED 50 4.6 μg) was potent when administered intracerebroventricularly.