Description

Motival tablets contain two ingredients, fluphenazine hydrochloride, nortriptyline hydrochloride. Fluphenazine hydrochloride belongs to a group of medicines known as the phenothiazine antipsychotics. It is sometimes described as a ‘major tranquilliser’. It acts by blocking a variety of receptors in the brain, particularly dopamine receptors. Dopamine is involved in transmitting signals between brain cells. When there is an excess amount of dopamine in the brain it causes over-stimulation of dopamine receptors. These receptors normally act to modify behaviour and over-stimulation may result in psychotic illness. Fluphenazine hydrochloride blocks these receptors and stops them becoming over-stimulated, thereby helping to control psychotic illness.Nortriptyline belongs to a group of medicines known as tricyclic antidepressants (TCA).When depression occurs, there may be a decreased amount of the chemicals noradrenaline and serotonin released from nerve cells in the brain. When these chemicals are released from nerve cells they act to lighten mood. When they are reabsorbed into the nerve cells, they no longer have an effect on mood. Nortriptyline works by preventing this re-absorption of noradrenaline and serotonin back into the nerve cells. Therefore, it helps prolong the mood-lightening effect of any released noradrenaline and serotonin. This helps relieve depression. The full benefits of treatment with nortriptyline may not appear during the initial weeks of therapy.This medicine is used to treat mild-moderate mixed anxiety-depressive states.