What is nefazodone (Serzone)?
Nefazodone (Serzone) is a new antidepressant with a chemical structure that is somewhat similar to that of the phenylpiperazine antidepressant, trazodone (Desyrel). The antidepressant action of nefazodone is thought to be dependent on its ability to block postsynaptic serotonin type-2 receptors and inhibit presynaptic serotonin reuptake. Nefazodone also blocks norepinephrine reuptake. Nefazodone does not have a chemical structure similar to the SSRIs, tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, bupropion, or venlafaxine. • How does nefazodone differ from other antidepressants? One possibly important way in which nefazodone differs from other SSRIs is that while use of SSRIs is often associated with sexual dysfunction and sleep disturbances, these side-effects have been reported infrequently in people taking nefazodone. • What kinds of depression can be treated with nefazodone? While the pre-marketing studies were restricted to patients with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of non-mel
