Depression
A disease that affects millions of Americans, believed to
be caused by an imbalance of certain chemicals in the brain, called
neurotransmitters.
Drug-Drug Interactions
This is when two or more different drugs interact and alter their
intended effects, often causing adverse events. Drug interactions
are a concern for those patients who may be taking many different
medicines at once, such as elderly patients. Medicines with favorable
drug-drug interaction profiles do not interfere with the metabolism
of many drugs and require few changes in dose on the part of physicians.
Efficacy
The term used to indicate that a drug works. When new drugs are created
in the United States, before they can be used by patients, clinical
efficacy trials must be conducted to prove the drug produces a significant
improvement compared with placebo (sugar pill).
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
An overwhelming sense of apprehension
and fear often accompanied by physical symptoms such as tension, sweating,
or increased pulse rate. Anxiety symptoms are commonly associated
with depression.
Indication
The disease a drug is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) to treat; for example, Lexapro is indicated for the treatment
of depression and GAD—in adults (age 18 or older).
Lexapro® (escitalopram oxalate)
Lexapro is a member of the SSRI class of antidepressant medicines.
Lexapro was approved by the FDA in August 2002 and is a medicine that effectively treats depression and generalized anxiety disorder. Lexapro contains the active component of Celexa.
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