What is "captodiame"

alt. An antihistamine, derived from diphenhydramine, used as a sedative and anxiolytic. n. An antihistamine, derived from diphenhydramine, used as a sedative and anxiolytic.

Captodiame ( INN), also known as captodiamine, is an antihistamine sold under the trade names Covatine, Covatix, and Suvren which is used as a sedative and anxiolytic. It is a derivative of diphenhydramine.

A 2004 study suggested captodiame may be helpful in preventing benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome in people discontinuing benzodiazepine treatment.

In addition to its actions as an antihistamine, captodiamine has been found to act as a 5-HT receptor antagonist and σ receptor and D receptor agonist. It produces antidepressant-like effects in rats. However, captodiamine is unique among antidepressant-like drugs in that it increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in the hypothalamus but not in the frontal cortex or hippocampus. This unique action may be related to its ability to attenuate stress-induced anhedonia and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) signaling in the hypothalamus.