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Glite Dictionary
desipramine

desipramine

8.7
A medicine used to treat depression and sometimes to help people with ADHD
  • noun
  • /ˌdɛsɪˈpræmiːn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : desipramina
  • The doctor prescribed desipramine to help manage her depression effectively.

Examples

  • He received 75 mg daily of desipramine throughout the course of the study.

    Academic text (2001)

  • After starting desipramine, he noticed an improvement in his mood within a few weeks.

  • 45 Desipramine; placebo NA, 5; NA, 4

    Academic text (2016)

  • Many patients with ADHD benefit from treatment options like desipramine as part of their care plan.

Surface Forms

desipramine singular
desipramines plural

Morphology

desipramine = imipramine (opaque) = des + imipramine

The derivation from 'imipramine' via the 'des-' element is specific to chemical nomenclature (N‑desmethyl derivative) and is not obvious to average learners.

Etymology

Desipramine is built like many drug names: the prefix de- means 'remove' and the rest comes from the older drug imipramine. So a helpful way to remember desipramine is that it is a changed form of imipramine used as an antidepressant.