Vortioxetine

Vortioxetine, sold under the trade names Trintellix among others, is a medication used to treat major depressive disorder. Effectiveness is viewed as similar to that of other antidepressants. It is only recommended in people who have not improved sufficiently on two other antidepressants. It is taken by mouth. Vortioxetine, sold under the trade names Trintellix among others, is a medication used to treat major depressive disorder. Effectiveness is viewed as similar to that of other antidepressants. It is only recommended in people who have not improved sufficiently on two other antidepressants. It is taken by mouth. Common side effects include constipation and nausea. Serious side effects may include suicide in those under the age of 25, serotonin syndrome, bleeding, mania, and SIADH. A withdrawal syndrome may occur if the dose is rapidly decreased. Use during pregnancy and breastfeeding is not generally recommended. It is classified as a serotonin modulator. How it works is not entirely clear but is believed to be related to increasing serotonin levels. It was approved for medical use in the United States in 2013. A month supply in the United Kingdom costs the NHS about £27.72 as of 2019. In the United States the wholesale cost of this amount is about 368.40 USD. In 2016 it was the 260th most prescribed medication in the United States with more than a million prescriptions. Vortioxetine is used as a treatment for major depressive disorder. Effectiveness appear to be similar to other antidepressants. It may be used when other treatments have failed. Vortioxetine is also used off label for anxiety. A 2016 review found it was not useful in generalized anxiety disorder. The most common side effects reported with vortioxetine are nausea, diarrhea, dry mouth, constipation, vomiting, flatulence, dizziness, and sexual dysfunction. However, with the singular exception of nausea, these side effects occurred in less than 10% of study participants given the active drug, with up to 8% of placebo-treated participants reporting the same side effects. If Vortioxetine is prescribed alongside traditional selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), or other serotonergic drugs, this can induce the potentially life-threatening serotonin syndrome. Incidence of sexual dysfunction is only slightly higher in patients taking vortioxetine than in people taking placebos and occurs in less than 10% of vortioxetine-treated patients. As such, vortioxetine may be appropriate for people who have suffered sexual side effects from other antidepressant medications. It increases serotonin concentrations in the brain by inhibiting its reuptake in the synapse, and by modulating (activating certain receptors while blocking, or antagonizing, others) certain serotonin receptors. This puts it in the class of atypical antidepressants known as serotonin modulators and stimulators.