Depressed patients tend to be forgetful, and for them a simple dosage regimen is particularly appropriate. The use of a single daily dosage depends on the drug having a relatively long (over 36 hours) half-life in the body and being tolerated in a single large dose. Many tricyclic anti-depressives fulfil these requirements provided that the single dose is given before the patient goes to bed. Unwanted effects such as dry mouth and blurred vision, which are troublesome during the day, are not a problem during sleep. The sedative actions of many of these drugs can help the insomniac depressed patient who might otherwise need a separate hypnotic.
SUMMARY
1. The effectiveness of miroestrol in causing cornification of the vagina of the ovariectomized rat, inhibiting pituitary activity of the adult male rat and preventing pregnancy in the mated female rat has been compared with that of hexoestrol and stilboestrol when each oestrogen is administered either subcutaneously or orally.
2. Inhibition of pituitary function and prevention of pregnancy by these substances are directly related to their activity in producing cornification of the vaginal epithelium. Only large doses of oestrogen produce the first two responses fully.
3. When administered subcutaneously miroestrol has about 0·3 of the potency of stilboestrol and 0·25 of that of hexoestrol in each response studied. By oral administration it is 0·8 as potent as stilboestrol and more potent than hexoestrol. Since the potency of miroestrol compared with a given oestrogen administered in the same way is of the same order in each response, it is concluded that these substances are only capable of inhibiting the function of the pituitary and of preventing pregnancy because of their oestrogenic activity.
The Contents of Trichloroacetic Acid-soluble Sulphydryl Compounds and Ascorbic Acid in the Liver of Rats Fed Aminoazo Dyes: the Effect of a Single Large Dose of Dye