Mechanism of Action
Unlike benzodiazepines, etifoxine appears to produce its anxiolytic effects by binding to β2 and β3 subunits of the GABAA receptor complex, and so is acting at a different target site to benzodiazepines, although the physiological effect that is produced is similar to that of benzodiazepines. This difference in binding means that etifoxine can be used alongside benzodiazepines to potentiate their effects without competing for binding sites, however it also means that the effects of etifoxine are not reversed by the benzodiazepine antagonist flumazenil. It is the (S)-isomer of etifoxine that is active.
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