Is escitalopram considered an opiate

Answer 1

No, but it is addictive and is brutal in it's withdrawals. If you take it for some time, your body will get used to it and you'll go into withdrawals. That's called "Paxil Poopout" on withdrawal forums.

Withrawals occur in about 67% of the people tapering off the drug. They include: Severe anxiety, depression, intense dreams/nightmares, suicidal thoughts, nausea, insomnia, dizziness, irritability, anger, sweating, feeling off-balance and clumsy, shaky, twitches and jerks, brain zaps and flashes of light, tinitus, difficulty focusing thoughts, akathisia, dysphoria and more.

Answer 2

No. Fluoxetine is a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI). That means that it binds to the Sertonin Reuptake Transporters (SERTs) and keeps them from pumping serotonin back into the synaptic cleft. So essentially, it keeps the serotonin out longer, which indirectly leads to relief from depression, anxiety, etc. Fluoxetine does not bind to opioid receptors, unlike opiates, so it's not an opiate.

However, opiates that activate opioid receptors trigger a wide cascade of signaling, causing the release of various types of neurotransmitters (GABA, serotonin, glutamate and dopamine, just to name a few). This means that while opiates don't directly influence the serotonin receptors, they can indirectly. There's actually some evidence that the analgesic properties of opiates are related to serotonin.

So in some ways, both of them have similarities, but fluoxetine is not considered an opiate because it has a different mechanism of action.

Answer 3

No, it is an SSRI antidepressant. It is used to treat depression and various anxiety disorders. Opiates are used to treat pain.

Answer 4

no no