Mianserin is a medication used for a variety of effects, although it is chiefly seen as an antidepressant. Despite its vast application and established reputation in the international market, the drug is currently being phased out. Mianserin is also known as Bolvidon, Depnon, Norval or Tolvon.
First synthesized in 1966, mianserin was one of the first entries in a category of drugs collectively known as tetracyclic antidepressants (TeCA). These are drugs named after their chemical structure, which consist of four atom rings. Mianserin is specifically placed in a TeCA category known as noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressants (NaSSAs). These are medications that imitate the actions of chemicals; in this case, serotonin and norepinephrine, or noradrenaline.
Notably, mianserin can also be considered a psychoactive drug. This is because it works in the central nervous system, where it alters the function of the brain to change certain emotional aspects of the person. Coincidentally, serotonin and norepinephrine are produced in the brain.
Serotonin in particular is a neurotransmitter identified as a “feel good” chemical, or an agent that contribute to one’s good mood. Thus an imitation of this substance increases the sense of well-being. This is the reverse of clinical depression, which is characterized by low moods and a lack of interest in activities that are normally pleasurable. Clinical depression is also known as unipolar disorder since the patient only exhibits one type of mood, as opposed to bipolar disorder, in which the patient experiences extremely high and low moods.
Besides depression, mianserin is used for other medical conditions. It acts as an anxiolytic, which means that it battles anxiety disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It can be used to treat sleep disorders such as insomnia, therefore making it a hypnotic. The medication can also function as an antiemetic for nausea and vomiting; an orexigenic for increasing appetite; or an antihistamine for fighting allergies.
Mianserin does have several side effects. They include weight gain as a result of increased appetite, constipation, blurred vision, dizziness and drowsiness. Additionally, some takers of mianserin may experience withdrawal effects upon abrupt or rapid discontinuation of medication, some of which include the very ailments that the drug aims to fight: anxiety and depression.
By the end of the 20th century, more countries were abandoning mianserin for another NaSSAs named mirtazapine. Also known as Remeron, Avanza or Zispin, it was introduced in 1990, covering the same ground as its predecessor. Mirtazapine possesses more advanced biological properties than mianserin.