Antidepressant toxicity

Tricyclic antidepressant toxicity.

Tricyclic antidepressants are dibenzazepine derivatives with adrenergic, anticholinergic, and direct cardio-depressant activity. Double-blind clinical studies show TCAD to be efficacious for two-thirds of depressed patients. Cardiac toxicity is significant, especially on diseased myocardium. Serious arrhythmias and intracardiac blocks have been reported on therapeutic doses. Tricyclic antidepre...

Fatal toxicity of antidepressant drugs in overdose.

A fatal toxicity index (deaths per million National Health Service prescriptions) was calculated for antidepressant drugs on sale during the years 1975-84 in England, Wales, and Scotland. The tricyclic drugs introduced before 1970 had a higher index than the mean for all the drugs studied (p less than 0.001). In this group the toxicity of amitriptyline, dibenzepin, desipramine, and dothiepin wa...

Fatal toxicity associated with antidepressant use in primary care.

BACKGROUND New selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are perceived to be much safer in use than older tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). However, previous assessments of association with fatal toxicity were made too soon after the introduction of the new drugs to permit accurate estimation. AIM To determine the level of association of antidepressant drugs with fatal poisoning in the ...

Antidepressant drugs appear to enhance cocaine-induced toxicity.

It has been shown that cocaine-induced convulsions and lethality appear to be mediated by serotonin and dopamine neurotransmission, respectively. However, many antidepressants considered for treatment of cocaine addiction target these monoamine systems and may thus amplify these toxic effects during relapse. In this study, the authors assessed whether pretreatment with antidepressants influence...

Toxicity of depressant and antidepressant drugs in hyperthyroid mice.