Patient/caregiver was instructed upon therapeutic uses of dothiepin as follows:
- Major depression: Dothiepin increases the serotonin and noradrenaline concentrations and enhances their actions at the junction between nerve cells. This helps with contributing to increased alertness, enhanced memory & attention, and promotion of feelings of well-being, contentment, and happiness. This leads to relief from anxiety and control of depression symptoms.
- Panic disorders, phobias, and anxiety: By improving the concentrations and promoting the actions of serotonin and noradrenaline in the brain, dothiepin can help with stabilizing the mood and allaying unrealistic fears. This helps provide relief from panic states and phobia. So, dothiepin can be used for mood enhancement, management and relief of agitation during states of panic, phobia, and anxiety.
- Schizophrenia and psychosis: Dothiepin can be used to control the agitation and anxiety and slowdown the racing thoughts associated with schizophrenia and psychosis.
- Nerve and muscle pain: Neurochemicals in the brain, such as, serotonin, can influence the perception of pain. Abnormal levels of these chemicals in the brain can lead to worsening of painful sensations. This leads to severe nerve and muscle pain conditions, such as, fibromyalgia, tension headache, and migraine. Dothiepin, by helping to fix these chemicals in the brain, contributes to relief of these painful conditions.
- Dothiepin use is currently limited to patients intolerant to or unresponsive to alternative antidepressant medications, owing to serious side-effects.
