Posted by liz on April 12, 2000, at 10:28:11
In reply to Re: Uprima, apomorphine, posted by AndrewB on April 12, 2000, at 9:45:11
Andrew, thanks for the interesting input! My Dad has Parkinson's disease; I don't believe he has ever been on Apomorphine, but perhaps he should be!
Anyway, you are correct that Uprima is to be taken sublingually. CNN also touched briefly on the approval hearings; apparently the (rare) side effects of the drug during trials were fainting or passing out, even some sudden heart failures, although the controversy has been if those effects could be unequivicably attributed to the drug. Understandably, those results and the surrounding controversy have slowed down the approval process.
BTW, what does "off label" mean?
************************************************
Uprima is more commonly known as apomorphine. I guess that Uprima is the trade name that they will market apomorphine under as a medicine for sexual dysfunction. Apomorphine has been around quite awhile and is used as a drug to help with parkinsons disease. It is both a D2 and D1 receptor agonist. Like many other dopamine agonists (bromocriptine, pergolide, lisuride) and dopaminergenics (selegiline), it has been noted to have the ability to enhance sexual function in both men and women. Apomorphine has been used off label for quite some time as a sexual enhancer. Its relatively short half-life (1-2 hours) makes it well suited for this purpose. I believe Uprima will be in a sublingual form. Side effects include nausea, which is common with dopamine agonists. Domperidone, a peripheal dopamine receptor blocker, offsets the nausea but is available only in Europe.
>
> From all that I have read, excepting this CNN story you refer to Liz, apomorphine is a libido enhancer. It works in both men and women. Its action is most probably through the stimulation of the central D2 receptors. Its ultimate action may be due to the release the hormone oxytocin or the lowering of the level of the hormone prolactin. I wonder if the CNN story isn't correct also and possibly these hormones have an effect on vasodialation in the genital area of both men and women.
>
> AndrewB
poster:liz
thread:29285
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000411/msgs/29721.html