Posted by King Vultan on August 13, 2004, at 19:27:13
In reply to Re: Parnate RAISES my blood pressure (without food) ! » King Vultan, posted by don_bristol on August 13, 2004, at 13:12:23
People have been debating for decades whether or not tranylcypromine is metabolized into amphetamine in the body. As the evidence you cite suggests, the answer is probably no. From the standpoint of chemical structure, tranylcypromine and amphetamine are uncanningly similar and really only differ in that tranylcypromine contains a cyclopropane ring, while amphetamine contains a propane chain. The active NH2 group is in the same relative position on both molecules (on the middle carbon of the propyl group). It seems reasonable to conclude that if the stimulant effects of tranylcypromine are not due to it being metabolized into amphetamine, than they must just be due to the molecule's close resemblance to amphetamine.
Nardil, OTOH, superficially looks vaguely like amphetamine, but it really does not seem to have any kind of direct stimulant effect related to its chemical structure. Any stimulant effect that a Nardil user might experience would only be due to its action as an MAOI in increasing the availability of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. I frankly never noticed any kind of real stimulant effect while on Nardil myself, as I found the stuff to be rather neutral; although, it could be somewhat sedating at times, particularly when I first started taking it.
Todd
poster:King Vultan
thread:376369
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040811/msgs/377381.html