vortioxetine

Vortioxetine is an antidepressant for the treatment of major depressive disorder. Vortioxetine’s mechanism of action is not fully understood. Vortioxetine binds with high affinity to the serotonin transporter and its antidepressant actions are believed to be secondary to enhancing serotonin in the central nervous system through inhibition of reuptake. Vortioxetine also displays binding affinities to other serotonin (5-HT) receptors, including 5-HT3, 5-HT1A, and 5-HT7. Due to multimodal neurotransmitter enhancer profile, it has been suggested that it might need lesser receptor occupancy rate for clinical trials than other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. Since vortioxetine is an agonist and antagonist of multiple serotonin receptors, potential interactions may occur with other medications that alter the serotonergic pathways. There is an increased risk of serotonin syndrome when vortioxetine is used in combination with other serotonergic agents. — NCATS