Side effects
A 2011 Cochrane review found that, compared with other antidepressants, it is more likely to cause weight gain and sleepiness, but it is less likely to cause tremor than tricyclic antidepressants, and less likely to cause nausea and sexual dysfunction than SSRIs.Very common (≥10% incidence) adverse effects include constipation, dry mouth, sleepiness, increased appetite (17%) and weight gain (>7% increase in <50% of children).Common (1–10% incidence) adverse effects include weakness, confusion, dizziness, fasciculations (muscle twitches), peripheral edema (swelling, usually of the lower limbs), and negative lab results like elevated transaminases, elevated serum triglycerides, and elevated total cholesterol.Mirtazapine is not considered to have a risk of many of the side effects often associated with other antidepressants like the SSRIs, and may actually improve certain ones when taken in conjunction with them. (Those adverse effects include decreased appetite, weight loss, insomnia, nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, urinary retention, increased body temperature, excessive sweating, pupil dilation and sexual dysfunction.) In general, some antidepressants, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), can paradoxically exacerbate some peoples depression or anxiety or cause suicidal ideation.
Conivaptan, sold under the brand name Vaprisol, is a non-peptide inhibitor of the receptor for anti-diuretic hormone, also called vasopressin. It was approved in 2004 for hyponatremia (low blood sodium levels). The compound was discovered by Astellas and marked in 2006. The drug is now marketed by Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Conivaptan inhibits two of the three subtypes of the vasopressin receptor (V1a and V2). Effectively, it causes iatrogenic nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. Conivaptan has not been approved by the American Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of decompensated congestive heart failure. However, in theory, vasopressin receptor antagonism would be particularly useful in this setting, and an initial study shows that it has some promise. Medical uses
Conivaptan is most commonly used in the hospital in cases of euvolemic and hypervolemic hyponatremia, conditions where the sodium level in the blood falls significantly below normal. In the United States hyponatremia affects about four percent of hospitalized patients. Although many patients do not show symptoms, extreme cases may result in brain swelling, respiratory arrest and even death. Hypervolemic hyponatremia specifically is when the body’s serum sodium levels fall below the total body water increase, which results in edema. This is associated with congestive heart failure, liver disease and kidney failure. Pharmacology
Conivaptan hydrochloride is an arginine vasopressin (AVP) receptor antagonist with affinity for human V1A and V2 receptors in the nanomolar range in vitro. AVP levels in blood are crucial for water and electrolyte regulation and balance.