Amitriptylinoxide (brand names Amioxid, Ambivalon, Equilibrin), or amitriptyline ''N''-oxide, is a

tricyclic antidepressant Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are a class of medications that are used primarily as antidepressants, which is important for the management of depression. They are second-line drugs next to SSRIs. TCAs were discovered in the early 1950s and we ...

(TCA) which was introduced in Europe in the 1970s for the treatment of depression. Amitriptylinoxide is both an analogue and

metabolite In biochemistry, a metabolite is an intermediate or end product of metabolism. The term is usually used for small molecules. Metabolites have various functions, including fuel, structure, signaling, stimulatory and inhibitory effects on enzymes, c ...

of amitriptyline, and has similar effects as well as equivalent efficacy as an antidepressant. However, it has a faster onset of action and fewer adverse effects, including reduced drowsiness,

sedation Sedation is the reduction of irritability or agitation by administration of sedative drugs, generally to facilitate a medical procedure or diagnostic procedure. Examples of drugs which can be used for sedation include isoflurane, diethyl ether, ...

, anticholinergic symptoms like dry mouth,

sweating Perspiration, also known as sweating, is the production of fluids secreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals. Two types of sweat glands can be found in humans: eccrine glands and apocrine glands. The eccrine sweat glands are distr ...

, and dizziness, orthostatic hypotension, and cardiotoxicity. In receptor binding assays, amitriptylinoxide was found to have generally equivalent

pharmacology Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemica ...

to amitriptyline, acting as a

serotonin Serotonin () or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Its biological function is complex and multifaceted, modulating mood, cognition, reward, learning, memory, and numerous physiological processes such as vomiting and vas ...

and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, serotonin receptor antagonist, and H₁ receptor antagonist, among other properties, but with approximately 60-fold lower affinity for the α₁-adrenergic receptor, and the weakest affinity of any of the TCAs analyzed for the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors. Amitriptylinoxide has been said to be a

prodrug A prodrug is a medication or compound that, after intake, is metabolized (i.e., converted within the body) into a pharmacologically active drug. Instead of administering a drug directly, a corresponding prodrug can be used to improve how the drug ...

of amitriptyline.

References

{{Tricyclics Amine oxides Dibenzocycloheptenes Dimethylamino compounds Muscarinic antagonists Tricyclic antidepressants

See also

References