Desipramine

Tricyclic Antidepressant — NERVOUS SYSTEM

Key facts

Desipramine is an ofp drug in the Tricyclic Antidepressant class catalogued in DrugCentral. It was first approved by the FDA in 1964. DrugCentral lists 36 molecular targets, including Adra1a, SLC6A3 and Slc6a2. Recorded indications include Depressive disorder.

• Approval status: ofp (first approved 1964 by the FDA).
• Drug class: Tricyclic Antidepressant.
• Molecular targets: Adra1a, SLC6A3, Slc6a2 and NET (36 listed in DrugCentral).
• Indications: Depressive disorder.
• ATC code: N06AA01 (Non-selective monoamine reuptake inhibitors).
• Molecular formula: C18H22N2; molecular weight 266.39 g/mol.

Indications & contraindications

Drug–disease relationships curated by DrugCentral (OMOP / SNOMED concepts).

Indications (1)

• Depressive disorder

Off-label uses (8)

• Anxiety
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
• Bulimia nervosa
• Cataplexy
• Chronic idiopathic urticaria
• Depressive Disorder following Traumatic Brain Injury
• Neuropathic pain
• Panic disorder

Contraindications (20)

• Alcoholism
• Angle-closure glaucoma
• Benign prostatic hyperplasia
• Bipolar disorder
• Cerebrovascular accident
• Conduction disorder of the heart
• Congenital long QT syndrome
• Disease of liver
• Epilepsy
• Glaucoma
• Hyperthyroidism
• Kidney disease
• Lowered convulsive threshold
• Myocardial infarction in recovery phase
• Prolonged QT interval
• Retention of urine
• Schizophrenia
• Seizure disorder
• Suicidal thoughts
• Torsades de pointes

Mechanism & targets

• Established pharmacologic class: Tricyclic Antidepressant

Molecular targets (36)

Target	Gene	Action	Activity
Alpha-1A adrenergic receptor	Adra1a	unknown	IC50 9.60
Sodium-dependent dopamine transporter	SLC6A3	unknown	Ki 9.31
Transporter	Slc6a2	unknown	Ki 9.19
Transporter	NET	unknown	Ki 9.11
Histamine H1 receptor	Hrh1	unknown	IC50 9.10
Sodium-dependent noradrenaline transporter	SLC6A2	inhibitor	Kd 9.08
Sodium-dependent serotonin transporter	SLC6A4	unknown	Kd 7.75
Histamine H1 receptor	HRH1	unknown	Ki 7.12
Alpha-1A adrenergic receptor	ADRA1A	unknown	Ki 7.00
5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 1B	HTR1B	unknown	Ki 6.97
Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M5	CHRM5	unknown	Ki 6.84
Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M4	CHRM4	unknown	Ki 6.80
5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2A	HTR2A	unknown	Ki 6.80
Sodium-dependent serotonin transporter	Slc6a4	unknown	Ki 6.79
Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M1	CHRM1	unknown	Ki 6.76
Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M3	CHRM3	unknown	Ki 6.68
5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2C	HTR2C	unknown	EC50 6.50
5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2B	HTR2B	unknown	EC50 6.50
Serotonin (5-HT) receptor	Htr2c|Htr2a|Htr1a|Htr1b|Htr1d|Htr1f|Htr2b|Htr6|Htr7|Htr5a|Htr5b|Htr3a|Htr4|Htr3b	unknown	IC50 6.46
Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M2	CHRM2	unknown	Ki 6.27

Regulatory approvals (1)

Date	Agency	Marketed as	Applicant	Orphan
1964-11-20	FDA	—	SANOFI AVENTIS US

ATC classification

ATC code	Therapeutic hierarchy
N06AA01	NERVOUS SYSTEM › PSYCHOANALEPTICS › ANTIDEPRESSANTS › Non-selective monoamine reuptake inhibitors

Pharmacogenomics

Drug-label and guideline annotations from PharmGKB and CPIC.

• EMA label
• FDA label: CYP2D6 · Informative PGx
• HCSC label

Reported adverse-event signals

Strongest FDA FAERS disproportionality signals (log-likelihood ratio). A signal is a statistical association in spontaneous reports, not proof that the drug causes the event.

MedDRA term	LLR
Completed suicide	261.4
Hyperkeratosis	129.6
Immune thrombocytopenia	104.5
Cardiac murmur	96.8
Antidepressant drug level above therapeutic	78.9
Angina pectoris	74.1
Toxicity to various agents	72.2
Dyspnoea exertional	68.1
Therapy non-responder	46.7
Intestinal obstruction	40.9
Autoimmune hepatitis	34.7
Ileus	33.7

Chemical structure

Full physicochemical, ADMET and 3D-structure analysis of Desipramine is on its molecule page.

• Molecular formula: C₁₈H₂₂N₂
• Molecular weight: 266.39 g/mol
• CAS number: 50-47-5
• InChIKey: HCYAFALTSJYZDH-UHFFFAOYSA-N
• PubChem CID: 2995

CNCCCN1C2=CC=CC=C2CCC2=C1C=CC=C2

Frequently asked questions

Answers are generated from the structured data on this page, not written by hand.

What is Desipramine used for?

DrugCentral lists the following indications for Desipramine: Depressive disorder.

How does Desipramine work?

Its molecular targets in DrugCentral include Adra1a, SLC6A3, Slc6a2 and NET.

When was Desipramine first approved?

Desipramine was first approved by the FDA in 1964.

What drug class does Desipramine belong to?

Desipramine is in the Tricyclic Antidepressant class.

What is the chemical formula of Desipramine?

Desipramine has the molecular formula C18H22N2 and a molecular weight of 266.39 g/mol.

Sources

• DrugCentral drug card 812 — structure, indications, targets, approvals, pharmacologic classes (CC BY-SA 4.0)
• ChEMBL CHEMBL1696 — compound record and bioactivity
• PubChem CID 2995 — chemical identifiers
• DrugBank DB01151 — drug record
• FDA UNII TG537D343B — substance identity
• DailyMed: FDA labels for Desipramine — current prescribing information (label search)
• UniProt Q01959 (SLC6A3) — target protein
• UniProt P23975 (SLC6A2) — target protein
• UniProt P31645 (SLC6A4) — target protein
• UniProt P35367 (HRH1) — target protein
• UniProt P35348 (ADRA1A) — target protein
• UniProt P28222 (HTR1B) — target protein
• FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (openFDA FAERS) — adverse-event signals, as aggregated by DrugCentral
• PharmGKB / CPIC — pharmacogenomic label annotations

How this page is built: methodology · editorial policy & corrections.