Combination of | |
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Dextromethorphan | Sigma-1 receptor agonist, NMDA receptor antagonist, serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor |
Quinidine | Antiarrhythmic agent, CYP2D6 inhibitor |
Clinical data | |
Trade names | Nuedexta |
Other names | AVP-923; DXM/quinidine |
AHFS/Drugs.com | Monograph |
MedlinePlus | a611048 |
License data | |
Routes of administration | By mouth |
ATC code |
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Legal status | |
Legal status |
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Pharmacokinetic data | |
Bioavailability | dextromethorphan 11%, quinidine 70-80%. Food has no effect on absorption. |
Metabolism | Liver, extensive. Dextromethorphan is catalyzed by CYP2D6. Quinidine is metabolized by CYP3A4 and competitively inhibits the metabolism of dextromethorphan to increase and prolong plasma concentrations of dextromethorphan |
Elimination half-life | dextromethorphan 13h, quinidine 7h |
Excretion | quinidine 5-20% |
Identifiers | |
CAS Number | |
KEGG |
Dextromethorphan/quinidine, sold under the brand name Nuedexta, is a fixed-dose combination medication for the treatment of pseudobulbar affect (PBA). [1] [2] It contains dextromethorphan (DXM) and the class I antiarrhythmic agent quinidine. [1]
Dextromethorphan/quinidine was approved for medical use in the United States in October 2010, and is marketed by Avanir Pharmaceuticals. [3]
DXM/quinidine is used in the treatment of PBA. In a 12-week randomized, double-blind trial, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis patients with significant PBA were given either Nuedexta 20/10 mg or placebo. In 326 randomized patients, the PBA-episode daily rate was 46.9% (p < 0.0001) lower for Nuedexta than for placebo. [4] The three deaths in each of the two drug treatment arms and the single death in the placebo arm of the study were believed to be due to the natural course of the disease. [1]
Common risks and side effects include: [1]
Dextromethorphan acts as a σ1 receptor agonist, serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, and NMDA receptor antagonist, while quinidine is an antiarrhythmic agent acting as a CYP2D6 inhibitor. [5] Quinidine prevents the metabolism of dextromethorphan into its active metabolite dextrorphan, which is a much more potent NMDA receptor antagonist but much less potent serotonin reuptake inhibitor than dextromethorphan. [5] [2] The mechanism of action of dextromethorphan/quinidine in the treatment of PBA is unknown. [2]
Dextromethorphan/quinidine was investigated for the treatment of agitation associated with dementia, diabetic neuropathy, drug-induced dyskinesia, migraine, and neuropathic pain, but development for these indications was discontinued. [6] Another formulation, deudextromethorphan/quinidine, is still under investigation for various indications. [7] These include agitation, schizophrenia, and major depressive disorder, among others. [7]
Dextromethorphan, or DXM, a common active ingredient found in many over-the-counter cough suppressant cold medicines, is used as a recreational drug and entheogen for its dissociative effects. It has almost no psychoactive effects at medically recommended doses. However, dextromethorphan has powerful dissociative properties when administered in doses well above those considered therapeutic for cough suppression. Recreational use of DXM is sometimes referred to in slang form as "robo-tripping", whose prefix derives from the Robitussin brand name, or "Triple Cs", which derives from the Coricidin brand whose tablets are printed with "CC+C" for "Coricidin Cough and Cold". However, this brand presents additional danger when used at recreational doses due to the presence of chlorpheniramine.
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 were marketed later in the decade. They are named after their chemical structure, which contains three rings of atoms. Tetracyclic antidepressants (TeCAs), which contain four rings of atoms, are a closely related group of antidepressant compounds.
Escitalopram, sold under the brand names Lexapro and Cipralex, among others, is an antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class. Escitalopram is mainly used to treat major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. It is taken by mouth, available commercially as an oxalate salt exclusively.
Tranylcypromine, sold under the brand name Parnate among others, is a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI). More specifically, tranylcypromine acts as nonselective and irreversible inhibitor of the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO). It is used as an antidepressant and anxiolytic agent in the clinical treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, respectively.
Quinidine is a class IA antiarrhythmic agent used to treat heart rhythm disturbances. It is a diastereomer of antimalarial agent quinine, originally derived from the bark of the cinchona tree. The drug causes increased action potential duration, as well as a prolonged QT interval. As of 2019, its IV formulation is no longer being manufactured for use in the United States.
Atomoxetine, sold under the brand name Strattera, among others, is a medication used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It may be used alone or along with psychostimulants. It is also used as a cognitive enhancer to improve alertness, attention, and memory. Use of atomoxetine is only recommended for those who are at least six years old. It is taken orally. Atomoxetine is a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor and is believed to work by increasing norepinephrine and dopamine levels in the brain.
Dextrorphan (DXO) is a psychoactive drug of the morphinan class which acts as an antitussive or cough suppressant and dissociative hallucinogen. It is the dextrorotatory enantiomer of racemorphan; the levorotatory enantiomer is levorphanol. Dextrorphan is produced by O-demethylation of dextromethorphan by CYP2D6. Dextrorphan is an NMDA antagonist and contributes to the psychoactive effects of dextromethorphan.
Doxepin is a medication belonging to the tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) class of drugs used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, chronic hives, and insomnia. For hives it is a less preferred alternative to antihistamines. It has a mild to moderate benefit for sleeping problems. It is used as a cream for itchiness due to atopic dermatitis or lichen simplex chronicus.
Dextromethorphan (DXM) is a cough suppressant in over-the-counter cold and cough medicines. It affects NMDA, glutamate-1, and sigma-1 receptors in the brain, all of which have been implicated in the pathophysiology of depression. In 2022, the FDA approved a formulation of it combined with bupropion named Auvelity to serve as a rapid acting antidepressant in patients with major depressive disorder. It is sold in syrup, instant release tablet, extended release tablet, spray, and lozenge forms.
Trimipramine, sold under the brand name Surmontil among others, is a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) which is used to treat depression. It has also been used for its sedative, anxiolytic, and weak antipsychotic effects in the treatment of insomnia, anxiety disorders, and psychosis, respectively. The drug is described as an atypical or "second-generation" TCA because, unlike other TCAs, it seems to be a fairly weak monoamine reuptake inhibitor. Similarly to other TCAs however, trimipramine does have antihistamine, antiserotonergic, antiadrenergic, antidopaminergic, and anticholinergic activities.
Trazodone, sold under many brand names, is an antidepressant medication. It is used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, and difficulties with sleep. The medication is taken orally.
Pseudobulbar affect (PBA), or emotional incontinence, is a type of emotional disturbance characterized by uncontrollable episodes of crying, laughing, anger or other emotional displays. PBA occurs secondary to a neurologic disorder or brain injury. Patients may find themselves crying uncontrollably at something that is only moderately sad, being unable to stop themselves for several minutes. Episodes may also be mood-incongruent: a patient may laugh uncontrollably when angry or frustrated, for example. Sometimes, the episodes may switch between emotional states, resulting in the patient crying uncontrollably before dissolving into fits of laughter.
Levorphanol is an opioid medication used to treat moderate to severe pain. It is the levorotatory enantiomer of the compound racemorphan. Its dextrorotatory counterpart is dextrorphan.
Levomethorphan (LVM) (INN, BAN) is an opioid analgesic of the morphinan family that has never been marketed. It is the L-stereoisomer of racemethorphan (methorphan). The effects of the two isomers of racemethorphan are quite different, with dextromethorphan (DXM) being an antitussive at low doses and a dissociative hallucinogen at much higher doses. Levomethorphan is about five times stronger than morphine.
Opipramol, sold under the brand name Insidon among others, is an anxiolytic and tricyclic antidepressant that is used throughout Europe. Despite chemically being a tricyclic dibenzazepine (iminostilbene) derivative similar to imipramine, opipramol is not a monoamine reuptake inhibitor like most other tricyclic antidepressants, and instead, uniquely among antidepressants, acts primarily as a sigma receptor agonist. It was developed by Schindler and Blattner in 1961.
Fluoxetine, sold under the brand name Prozac, among others, is an antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class. It is used for the treatment of major depressive disorder, obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), bulimia nervosa, panic disorder, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. It is also approved for treatment of major depressive disorder in adolescents and children 8 years of age and over. It has also been used to treat premature ejaculation. Fluoxetine is taken by mouth.
Vortioxetine, sold under the brand names Trintellix and Brintellix among others, is a medication used to treat major depressive disorder. Effectiveness is viewed as similar to that of other antidepressants. It is taken by mouth.
Levomilnacipran is an antidepressant which was approved in the United States in 2013 for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults. It is the levorotatory enantiomer of milnacipran, and has similar effects and pharmacology, acting as a serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI).
Dextromethorphan/bupropion (DXM/BUP), sold under the brand name Auvelity, is a combination medication for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). Its active components are dextromethorphan (DXM) and bupropion. Patients who stayed on the medication had an average of 11% greater reduction in depressive symptoms than placebo in an FDA approval trial. It is taken as a tablet by mouth.
Deudextromethorphan/quinidine is a combination of deudextromethorphan and quinidine (Q) which is under development by Avanir Pharmaceuticals for the treatment of a variety of neurological and psychiatric indications. The pharmacological profile of d-DXM/Q is similar to that of dextromethorphan/quinidine (DXM/Q). DXM and d-DXM act as σ1 receptor agonists, NMDA receptor antagonists, and serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, among other actions, while quinidine is an antiarrhythmic agent acting as a CYP2D6 inhibitor. Quinidine inhibits the metabolism of DXM and d-DXM into dextrorphan (DXO), which has a different pharmacological profile from DXM. Deuteration of DXM hinders its metabolism by CYP2D6 into DXO, thereby allowing for lower doses of quinidine in the combination. This in turn allows for lower potential for drug interactions and cardiac adverse effects caused by quinidine. As of September 2020, d-DXM/Q is in phase 3 clinical trials for agitation, phase 2/3 trials for schizophrenia, and phase 2 trials for brain injuries, impulse control disorders, major depressive disorder, and neurodegenerative disorders.