I have been prescribed Pitolisant (sold as Wakix, Ozawade), a recent (FDA approved in August 2019) H3 receptor antagonist against excessive daytime sleepiness by treated sleep apnea. It works like this:
When Histamine binds to H1 and H2 receptors, it promotes wakefulness. When histamine binds to H3 auto receptors it primarily blocks the release of Histamine. It also has a weaker blocking effect on the release of other neurotransmitters. Therefore, blocking H3 receptors can increase Histamine levels in the brain, leading to increased activity on H1 and H2 receptors, which in turn leads to increased wakefulness.
I haven’t tried it yet but I found it interesting as it uses a method of action I did not know about. An advantage over other stimulants is that it does not raise blood pressure (at least that’s what my doctor told me, can’t seem to easily confirm with google).
I have been prescribed Pitolisant (sold as Wakix, Ozawade), a recent (FDA approved in August 2019) H3 receptor antagonist against excessive daytime sleepiness by treated sleep apnea. It works like this:
When Histamine binds to H1 and H2 receptors, it promotes wakefulness. When histamine binds to H3 auto receptors it primarily blocks the release of Histamine. It also has a weaker blocking effect on the release of other neurotransmitters. Therefore, blocking H3 receptors can increase Histamine levels in the brain, leading to increased activity on H1 and H2 receptors, which in turn leads to increased wakefulness.
I haven’t tried it yet but I found it interesting as it uses a method of action I did not know about. An advantage over other stimulants is that it does not raise blood pressure (at least that’s what my doctor told me, can’t seem to easily confirm with google).