Milnacipran is FDA-approved for fibromyalgia; what is its mechanism of action?

Study for the Pain, Opioids, and Neuropsychiatric Pharmacology Test. Explore with flashcards and multiple choice questions; each query comes with hints and explanations. Prepare to excel in your exam!

Multiple Choice

Milnacipran is FDA-approved for fibromyalgia; what is its mechanism of action?

Explanation:
Milnacipran works by inhibiting both serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake, making it a serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). By blocking the transporters for SERT and NET, it increases the levels of these monoamines in the synaptic cleft, boosting descending pain inhibition and mood regulation. This monoaminergic modulation is thought to improve fibromyalgia pain and related symptoms. It is not a GABA receptor agonist, not an NMDA receptor antagonist, and not an opioid receptor antagonist, so those mechanisms do not describe how milnacipran works.

Milnacipran works by inhibiting both serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake, making it a serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). By blocking the transporters for SERT and NET, it increases the levels of these monoamines in the synaptic cleft, boosting descending pain inhibition and mood regulation. This monoaminergic modulation is thought to improve fibromyalgia pain and related symptoms.

It is not a GABA receptor agonist, not an NMDA receptor antagonist, and not an opioid receptor antagonist, so those mechanisms do not describe how milnacipran works.

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