Posted by psychobot5000 on January 16, 2009, at 22:32:51
In reply to Re: Agomelatine how does it work?, posted by Henrik Jonsson on January 15, 2009, at 6:01:36
> so it will not help for ocd?
Hard to say, I think. Hitting serotonin receptors individually may very well help OCD, not just raising serotonin levels in general--clomipramine is likely more effective for OCD than SSRIs after all, and has both actions, though a weaker effect on serotonin levels than SSRIs. However, it's not clear whether blocking the 5ht-2c receptor specifically, as agomelatine does, will be helpful. Linkadge (who knows much more), I think it was, wrote some stuff about this a few weeks ago, and his perspective was skeptical. Theory would seem to suggest that it might not be the best option for OCD (but read on). But with some broadly similar medications (Remeron is the one I'm thinking of), some OCD sufferers have been helped, and some have found it counterproductive (according to Link). So it probably varies individually.
All that said, I have OCD and take Agomelatine, and frankly, it may be helping. It certainly helps in the evening, after I take a dose, and in the morning as well. Whether it helps in the afternoon (when blood levels of the drug are lowest) is unclear at this point--it might even be counterproductive, though only slightly. But I'm still early in the trial, and so far general signs are positive. Based on my experience, I'd suggest that yes, it's likely useful for OCD, at least for some patients.
poster:psychobot5000
thread:864397
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090104/msgs/874446.html