No abstract available.
Carcinoembryonic Antigen* ; Citalopram*

No abstract available.
Carcinoembryonic Antigen* ; Citalopram*

Some new antidepressants including mirtazapine and citalopram appear to have promising efficacy and tolerability in the treatment of depression. For most major depression, all antidepressant drugs have equal efficacy. The choice of antidepressant drug needs to be tailored to a particular patient's medical condition and personal preferences. It is likely that adverse effects are the major determinant in the choice of antidepressant for a particular patient. However, in treating conditions other than depression, the efficacy of the ntidepressant drug can be the primary issue of drug choice. In conclusion, we would like discuss the current status and future direction in the treatment of depression.
Antidepressive Agents ; Citalopram ; Depression* ; Drug Therapy* ; Humans

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of escitalopram, paroxetine and venlafaxine in Korean patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). METHODS: A total of 449 Korean MDD patients were recruited in a six-week, randomized, rater-blinded, active-controlled trial and were evenly randomized to paroxetine, venlafaxine, or escitalopram treatment. RESULTS: When comparing the mean difference for the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) total scores during six weeks, paroxetine (−6.4±0.4, and −5.4±0.4, respectively) was found to be significantly superior to escitalopram (−3.7±0.5 and −3.1±0.4, respectively). Venlafaxine had a significantly lower MADRS total score (−5.4±0.4) than escitalopram. When adjusting baseline variables, the response, according to the MADRS and HDRS scores, in the paroxetine group was greater than that for the escitalopram group (odds ratio [OR]=2.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.42–4.16 for MADRS; and OR=2.32, 95% CI=1.35–3.97 for HDRS) and the venlafaxine group (OR=1.94, 95% CI=1.17–3.21 for MADRS; and OR=1.71, 95% CI=1.03–2.83 for HDRS). Despite that the overall tolerability was high and similar among the three groups, a total of 268 subjects (59.7%) prematurely discontinued treatment, representing the main limitation of the present study. CONCLUSION: Although a low study completion rate limits generalizability, our findings suggest that paroxetine might be superior to escitalopram in Korean MDD patients. Further studies should be conducted to draw a definite conclusion.
Citalopram* ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder, Major* ; Humans ; Paroxetine* ; Venlafaxine Hydrochloride*

Bruxism has been defined as an oral parafunctional activity characterized by clenching, bracing, gnashing and grinding of teeth while asleep and or awake. While bruxism has been associated with a number of neurological diseases, it has been mostly highlighted following drug medication. We report 2 female patients of awake bruxism after citalopram medication. The bruxism in these patients was completely or significantly improved after cessation of citalopram. We discuss the pathophyisological mechanism of bruxsm associated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These cases highlight that bruxism can occur in response to citalopram, as do in other SSRIs.
Braces ; Bruxism* ; Citalopram* ; Female ; Humans ; Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors ; Tooth

OBJECTIVE: Panic disorder is characterized by recurrent panic attacks, persistent concerns about additional attacks, and worry about the implications of the attack or significant changes in behavior related to the attacks. We examined the efficacy of 24-week naturalistic, open-label escitalopram treatment in terms of the response and remission rates and functional disability in 119 adult Korean patients with panic disorder from 6 clinical centers in South Korea. METHODS: Clinical severity and functional impairment were assessed at baseline and at 4, 12, and 24 weeks after the treatment using the Panic Disorder Severity Scale and Sheehan Disability Scale. Ninety-six patients (80.7%) showed a treatment response, and 87 patients (73.1%) had attained remission after 24 weeks of escitalopram treatment. RESULTS: Continuous improvement in the Panic Disorder Severity Scale and Sheehan Disability Scale scores was found over the 24 weeks of treatment. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that escitalopram treatment is very effective for panic disorder in terms of both response and remission rates and that long-term pharmacotherapy with escitalopram continuously improved panic symptoms and functional disability in Korean patients with panic disorder.
Adult ; Antidepressive Agents ; Citalopram ; Humans ; Panic ; Panic Disorder ; Prospective Studies

Oral (p.o.) administration has a delayed onset time of several weeks and moderate efficacy in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), therefore a more rapidly effective treatment is required. The aim of this paper was to review available data detailing the clinical outcome of intravenously (i.v.) administered antiobsessional drug in OCD patients. Review of the research indicates that i.v. administration exhibits a faster onset and greater improvement than p.o. administration. I.v. pulse administration showed clinically significantly faster onset than i.v. gradual administration. I.v. administration was safe and rapidly effective in treatment resistant OCD patients and might be a valuable new treatment.
Administration, Intravenous ; Citalopram ; Clomipramine ; Humans ; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

OBJECTIVE: Citalopram (CITA) is a widely used and well-tolerated selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. The aim of the study was to evaluate the possible influences of serum concentrations of CITA and its major metabolite n-desmethylcitalopram (NDCITA) on the efficacy and tolerability of CITA in patients with major depressive disorder. METHODS: The study included 46 outpatients with major depressive disorder who received CITA. The efficacy and tolerability were assessed for 6 weeks. Serum CITA and NDCITA levels were measured at the 4th week. RESULTS: The HDRS17 total scores of the patients with high NDCITA and CITA & NDCITA concentrations showed a more significant reduction compared to the patients with expected and low serum NDCITA and CITA & NDCITA concentrations. However, we did not observe a correlation between the serum concentrations and the side effects of CITA, NDCITA, and CITA & NDCITA. CONCLUSION: Our results suggested the potential contribution of NDCITA to the antidepressant effect of CITA. Further studies involving larger clinical samples are required to confirm the impact of serum NDCITA concentrations on the efficacy of CITA.
Citalopram* ; Depression* ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Humans ; Outpatients ; Serotonin

Escitalopram is one of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants. As an S-enantiomer of citalopram, it shows better therapeutic outcome in depression and anxiety disorder treatment because it has higher selectivity for serotonin reuptake transporter than citalopram. The objective of this study was to determine the direct inhibitory effect of escitalopram on 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 (5-HT₃) receptor currents and study its blocking mechanism to explore additional pharmacological effects of escitalopram through 5-HT₃ receptors. Using a whole-cell voltage clamp method, we recorded currents of 5-HT₃ receptors when 5-HT was applied alone or co-applied with escitalopram in cultured NCB-20 neuroblastoma cells known to express 5-HT₃ receptors. 5-HT induced currents were inhibited by escitalopram in a concentration-dependent manner. EC50 of 5-HT on 5-HT₃ receptor currents was increased by escitalopram while the maximal peak amplitude was reduced by escitalopram. The inhibitory effect of escitalopram was voltage independent. Escitalopram worked more effectively when it was co-applied with 5-HT than pre-application of escitalopram. Moreover, escitalopram showed fast association and dissociation to the open state of 5-HT₃ receptor channel with accelerating receptor desensitization. Although escitalopram accelerated 5-HT₃ receptor desensitization, it did not change the time course of desensitization recovery. These results suggest that escitalopram can inhibit 5-HT₃ receptor currents in a non-competitive manner with the mechanism of open channel blocking.
Antidepressive Agents ; Anxiety Disorders ; Citalopram ; Depression ; Methods ; Neuroblastoma ; Serotonin

We investigated the inhibitory effect of escitalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), on voltage-dependent K⁺ (Kv) channels in freshly separated from rabbit coronary arterial smooth muscle cells. The application of escitalopram rapidly inhibited vascular Kv channels. Kv currents were progressively inhibited by an increase in the concentrations of escitalopram, suggesting that escitalopram inhibited vascular Kv currents in a concentration-dependent manner. The IC₅₀ value and Hill coefficient for escitalopram-induced inhibition of Kv channels were 9.54±1.33 µM and 0.75±0.10, respectively. Addition of escitalopram did not alter the steady-state activation and inactivation curves, suggesting that the voltage sensors of the channels were not affected. Pretreatment with inhibitors of Kv1.5 and/or Kv2.1 did not affect the inhibitory action of escitalopram on vascular Kv channels. From these results, we concluded that escitalopram decreased the vascular Kv current in a concentration-dependent manner, independent of serotonin reuptake inhibition.
Citalopram* ; Coronary Vessels ; Muscle, Smooth* ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle* ; Serotonin*