Valdoxan tablets contain the active ingredient agomelatine, which is a type of medicine called an antidepr essant. It is used to treat depression.
Agomelatine acts on the melatonin and serotonin receptors in the brain.
Melatonin is a hormone made by the pineal gland, a structure in the brain. It is normally released soon after it starts to get dark. The amount produced then increases until about four am, before dropping off again. Melatonin is linked with the control of circadian rhythms and promoting sleep. It works by acting on melatonin receptors in the brain.
Agomelatine mimics the action of melatonin and helps to re-synchronise the body's circadian rhythms. These include mood, anxiety, appetite, body temperature and sleep/wake cycles. These circadian rhythms, particularly sleep cycles, are severely disturbed in people with depression. Agomelatine's main action is to improve the onset and quality of sleep and this in turn has an antidepressant effect.
Agomelatine also helps to improve mood in depression by increasing noradrenaline and dopamine release in the brain. These are natural chemicals called neurotransmitters that are involved, amongst other things, in regulating mood.