Reserpine is an antihypertensive and antipsychotic medication that works by depleting monoamines, particularly dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, from nerve terminals. It achieves this by inhibiting the vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT), which is responsible for packaging these neurotransmitters into synaptic vesicles. As a result, there is a decrease in neurotransmitter availability in the synaptic cleft, leading to reduced sympathetic nervous system activity, which helps lower blood pressure and can have a sedative effect.
Reserpine is primarily used to treat hypertension and is also sometimes employed for managing certain psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia. However, its use has declined due to the availability of newer medications with better side effect profiles.
