Like Cymbalta, Effexor works by preventing the brain from reabsorbing the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine.

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The disease is associated with abnormal levels of norepinephrine and estradiol, hormones that are known to help regulate the immune system.

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Classified as a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, it is not a controlled substance.

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Anecdotal evidence suggested that venlafaxine, one of a newer class of antidepressants called selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, could alleviate hot flashes, he explained.

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When you're tense, you get a rush of brain chemicals, like norepinephrine and cortisol, that cause you to hyperfocus "like a deer in the headlights, " says psychologist Lucy Jo Palladino.

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Also known as duloxetine, the new medicine is a follow-up to Prozac that works by keeping the brain from reabsorbing serotonin, as most antidepressants do, but also by targeting the reuptake of norepinephrine, which drugs like Prozac ignore.

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Excessive secretion of catecholamines the hormones adrenaline (epinephrine) and noradrenaline (norepinephrine) can lead to persistent high blood pressure or wild fluctuations in your blood pressure, depending on whether the catecholamines are released continuously or in shorter bursts.

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It is not the first drug to target both serotonin and norepinephrine--that honor goes to Effexor, a blockbuster made by Wyeth (nyse: WYE - news - people ) and put on the market around the same time as Prozac.

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The current crop of drugs, including the big names such as Prozac, Celexa and Effexor, work by boosting levels of brain transmitters serotonin or norepinephrine or both, but they take several weeks to kick in and have side effects including sexual dysfunction.

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