What Is Opipramol?

Opipramol is a prescription medication used for the treatment of depression and anxiety. It is principally used in Germany, where it is one of the most widely used anxiolytics. Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company Novartis International AG is the premier manufacturer of opipramol. Other terms for the drug include Insidon, opipramol-neuraxpharm, Ensidon and Pramolan.

The opipramol medication is placed in a category of drugs known as tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). These are antidepressants with chemical structures composed of three rings of atoms. Most TCAs are designed as reuptake inhibitors (RIs), which means that they work by suppressing the reabsorption of neurotransmitters. An example is the selective serotonin reputake inhibitor (SSRI), which treats depression by inhibiting the reabsorption of serotonin, a neurotransmitter responsible for contributing to one’s feeling of well-being.

Opipramol works differently from other TCAs, however, by acting as a sigma receptor agonist. This means that it attaches itself to the sigma receptor of a cell to generate the good feeling of the patient. As an antidepressant, it is primarily used to treat major depression. Also known as major depressive disorder (MDD) or clinical depression, this condition is marked by extremely low moods.

Additionally, opipramol is used in a conjunctive manner as an anxiolytic, which is a drug for the treatment of anxiety disorders. One type of anxiety disorder it is applied to is generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). This involves excessive and unnecessary worry for things that do not warrant such a level of concern.

People who take opipramol for GAD begin to feel its calming effects about one to two weeks after starting the drug. Since the drug has elements related to antihistamine, the aforementioned effect might be particularly prominent within the first few days of medication. With the passage of time, however, it begins to fade in sedating power.

Patients should never take opipramol with alcohol. The same prohibition applies to monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), which are also antidepressants, but work differently from opipramol in that they inhibit the enzyme that they are named after. People with prostate enlargement or the eye disorder glaucoma should avoid taking the drug altogether.

Germany is not the only country in which opipramol enjoys popularity. Globally, the medication is primarily used in countries in Eurasia and Africa, which include Austria, Turkey, Switzerland, Poland, Luxembourg, Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana. In the United States, the drug is not marketed nor approved.