Tramadol (brand name “Ultram”) is a synthetic drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. It initially hit the market in 1995 as an immediate-release (IR) drug, and was since also engineered into an extended-release (ER) drug in 2005. Compared to many other pain medications, Tramadol is unique in that …
Klonopin (Clonazepam) is a benzodiazepine medication utilized primarily for the treatment of anxiety disorders and acute epilepsy. It is also prescribed off-label for a host of other medical conditions including: acute mania, akathisia, bruxism, insomnia, and restless leg syndrome. As a benzodiazepine, it functions principally by modulating the neurotransmission of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) within the …
Subutex is a drug that was approved by the FDA in 2002 for the treatment of opioid dependence. It is typically utilized as an agent in opioid replacement therapy to help individuals transition off of more potent (often illicit) opioidergic drugs such as oxycodone and heroin. In other words, an individual who was previously ingesting …
Prozac (Fluoxetine) is a drug that was synthesized by Eli Lilly in the 1970s and approved by the FDA for the treatment of depression in 1987. Many regard Prozac as being the single most popular antidepressant medication of all time. As a result of its popularity, when a layman of the general public discusses antidepressants, …
Seroquel (Quetiapine) is a medication that was developed by AstraZeneca from 1992 through 1996. It received FDA approval in 1997 for the treatment of schizophrenia, and has since received approval to treat both acute mania and depressive phases of bipolar disorder. The drug is classified as an atypical, second-generation antipsychotic and exerts pharmacological effects via …
Prednisone is a common synthetic corticosteroid medication that was initially synthesized in 1955. Upon ingestion of prednisone, it doesn’t elicit significant biological effects until converted via the liver to the pharmacologically active chemical “prednisolone.” Prednisolone functions as an irreversible glucorticoid receptor agonist, binding to alpha glucorticoid receptors (AlphaGRs) and beta glucorticoid receptors (BetaGRs) within bodily tissues …
Abilify (Aripiprazole) is a medication that was developed by Otsuka Pharmaceuticals and approved by the FDA in 2002 for the treatment of schizophrenia. Approximately 2 years thereafter (in 2004) it was approved for the treatment of acute mania and mixed episodes associated with bipolar disorder. By 2007, it had attained approval for the treatment of …