Effects of mood‐stabilizing drugs on the peripheral serotonin transporter

Abstract

We studied the effect of lithium (L), carbamazepine (CBZ), valproic acid (VA), verapamil (VP) and nifedipine (NF) on the specific binding of 3H-imipramine (3H-IMI) to platelet membranes, as compared with clomipramine (CLO). The results showed that VP, NF and CLO exerted a concentration-dependent inhibition on the IMI binding; CLO had the most potent inhibitory effect. No effect was observed with L. CBZ or VA. These results suggest that while VP and NF interact with the 5-HT transporter complex, L, CBZ and VA do not. Therefore, their effective (or suggested) mood-stabilizing effects are likely to be related to different mechanisms.