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Clinical antidepressant activity of cyclazocine—a narcotic antagonist
Author(s) -
Fink Max,
Simeon Jovan,
Itil Turan M.,
Freedman Alfred M.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.941
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1532-6535
pISSN - 0009-9236
DOI - 10.1002/cpt197011141
Subject(s) - antidepressant , imipramine , tricyclic antidepressant , psychology , anesthesia , analgesic , medicine , amitriptyline , psychiatry , anxiety , alternative medicine , pathology
Cyclazocine is a benzomorphan derivative with analgesic and antinarcotic activity. During a clinical evaluation in the treatment of opiate dependence, elation, insomnia, and increased libido with administration and a “grippe‐like” syndrome on acute withdrawal were recorded as secondary effects. In the scalp‐recorded electroencephalogram (EEG), desynchronization, decreased alpha abundance, and increased fast and theta activities were recorded concurrently. Because the clinical and EEG patterns were most similar to those with the tricyclic antidepressants, a clinical trial in depressive disorders was undertaken. In an open clinical trial in severely depressed chronic mentally ill patients, improvement in depressive symptoms and in clinical evaluations occurred within 4 weeks in 8 of 10 subjects, receiving 1.0 to 3.0 mg. of cyclazocine daily. In a clinical trial in imipramine treatment failures in an outpatient mental health clinic, 10 of 19 patients improved in depressive symptoms within 8 weeks at dosages of 1.0 to 3.0 mg. daily. In both studies, secondary effects were common, suggesting a narrow therapeutic range. Cyclazocine is an active antidepressant as well as an active antinarcotic agent. The antidepressant activity is correlated with the EEG patterns and is consistent with recent EEG classifications of psychoactive drugs. The antidepressant activity does not seem to be related to the antinarcotic activity. In the treatment of opiate dependence, the efficacy of cyclazocine may be related in part to its antidepressant activity.