Definition

1. Noun:
   • A tricyclic antidepressant drug: Desipramine is a specific type of medication belonging to the class of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), used primarily to treat depression.
   • A drug that activates the psychomotor system: It works by affecting certain chemicals in the brain, leading to an increase in psychomotor activity, which can help alleviate symptoms of depression like fatigue and low energy.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The doctor prescribed desipramine for her major depressive disorder.
  • Desipramine, like other tricyclics, requires careful monitoring for side effects.

Advanced Usage

• Clinical context: The term is used almost exclusively in medical, psychiatric, and pharmacological contexts.
  • The study compared the efficacy of desipramine with that of a newer SSRI.

Variants and Related Words

• Tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) (n): The broader class of drugs to which desipramine belongs.
  • Amitriptyline and imipramine are other examples of tricyclic antidepressants.
• Metabolite (n): Desipramine is the active metabolite of another TCA, imipramine.
  • Desipramine is formed in the body when imipramine is metabolized.

Synonyms

• Antidepressant (n): A general term for medications used to treat depression.
• Psychotropic drug (n): A substance that affects brain function and alters mood or behavior.

Related Phrases / Terms

• "Tricyclic antidepressant": The full descriptive term for this drug class.
  • Desipramine is a classic example of a tricyclic antidepressant.
• "Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor": Describes one of its primary mechanisms of action.
  • Desipramine acts primarily as a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor.

Noun

1. a tricyclic antidepressant drug that activates the psychomotor system