December 19, 2018
AkraMania
Which of the following is a glutamate receptor regulator?
Exam Question Oct 2012
Mechanism of action
It is important to know the mechanisms of action of the different drugs. These are common questions in the exam, and easy marks if you make an effort to learn them.
| Antidepressant | Mechanism |
|---|
| Mirtazapine | Noradrenaline and serotonin specific antidepressant (NaSSa)
5HT2 antagonist, 5HT3 antagonist, H1 antagonist, alpha 1 and alpha 2 antagonist, moderate muscarinic antagonist |
| Venlafaxine | Serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) |
| Duloxetine | Serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) |
| Reboxetine | Noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (NaRI) |
| St John's Wort | Weak MAOI and weak SNRI (also considered by some to be a weak SSRI) |
| Trazodone | Weak antagonist and SARI (Serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitor) |
| Moclobemide | Reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase type A |
| Agomelatine | Melatonergic agonist (MT1 and MT2 receptors) and 5-HT2C antagonist |
| Bupropion (Zyban) | Norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI), and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist |
| Antidementia drug | Mechanism |
|---|
| Donepezil | Reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor |
| Rivastigmine | Reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitor |
| Galantamine | Reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and binds allosterically to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor |
| Tacrine | Reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor |
| Memantine | NMDA antagonist |
| Mood stabiliser | Mechanism |
|---|
| Valproate | GABA agonist and NMDA antagonist |
| Gabapentin | GABA agonist |
| Topiramate | GABA agonist, NMDA antagonist, and Na channel stabiliser |
| Carbamazepine | Stabilises Na channels |
| Phenytoin | Stabilises Na channels |
| Lamotrigine | NMDA antagonist and stabilises Na channels |
| Pregabalin | Potent ligand for the alpha-2-delta subunit of voltage-gated calcium channels in the central nervous system |
| Anxiolytic/hypnotic drug | Mechanism |
|---|
| Benzodiazepines | GABA-A agonists |
| Z-drugs | GABA-A agonists |
| Buspirone | 5HT1A partial agonist |
| Antipsychotic | Mechanism |
|---|
| Amisulpride | D2/D3 selective antagonist (low affinity selective antagonist of 'D2 like' receptors (D2=D3>D4) it has little affinity for D1 like' receptors (D1 and D5) or non dopaminergic receptors (serotonin, histamine, adrenergic, and cholinergic) |
| Olanzapine | Dopamine and 5HT2 antagonism |
| Aripiprazole | Partial agonist at 5HT1A and D2, and 5HT2A antagonist |
| Clozapine | High affinity for D4, (to a lesser extent D1, D2, D3, D5) also 5 HT 1A partial agonist and 5HT2 antagonist |
| Drug of abuse | Mechanism |
|---|
| Ketamine | NMDA antagonist |
| Phencyclidine | NMDA antagonist |
| Other drug | Mechanism |
|---|
| Lofexedine | Alpha 2 agonist |
| Clonidine | Alpha 2 agonist |
| Buprenorphine | Partial agonist at the mu-opioid receptor |
| Naloxone | Pure opioid antagonist (will reverse mu, delta, and kappa) |
| Atomoxetine | Noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor |
| Varenicline (Champix) | Nicotinic receptor partial agonist |
| Disulfiram | Binds irreversibly to aldehyde dehydrogenase |
| Acamprosate | Metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonist and GABA-A agonist |
| Selegiline | selective, irreversible inhibition of monoamine oxidase type B (also inhibits MAO-A at higher doses |
| Sildenafil | Inhibits cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) |
