The inwardly rectifying K+ (Kir) channel Kir4.1 is responsible for astroglial K+ buffering. We recently found that tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) inhibit Kir4.1 channel currents, which suggests that astroglial Kir currents might be involved in the pharmacological action of antidepressants. We therefore further examined the effects of the currently most popular antidepressants, selective serot...

BACKGROUND Antidepressants are associated with adverse effects such as sedation and hypotension, which can result in falls and fractures. Few studies have assessed the risk of hip fracture due to mirtazapine, and no known studies have assessed whether the risk of hip fracture is higher in patients taking other antidepressant medicines in combination with mirtazapine. OBJECTIVES This study aim...

Letters to the Editor will be published, if suitable, as space permits. They should not exceed 1000 words (typed double-spaced) in length and may be subject to editing or abridgment. To the Editor: In their cross-sectional study involving Ͼ2900 subjects, Licht et al 1 demonstrated that depression was associated with reduced blood pressure, whereas the use of certain antidepressants, namely, tri...

Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) have been reported to interact with the opioid system, but their pharmacological activity at opioid receptors has not yet been elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the actions of amoxapine, amitriptyline, nortriptyline, desipramine, and imipramine at distinct cloned and native opioid receptors. In Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing delta-o...

OBJECTIVES We aimed to investigate antidepressant use, including the class of antidepressant, in mid-age and older Australians according to sociodemographic, lifestyle and physical and mental health-related factors. METHODS Baseline questionnaire data on 111,705 concession card holders aged ⩾45 years from the 45 and Up Study-a population-based cohort study from New South Wales, Australia-were...

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is estimated by the World Health Organization to be the fourth leading cause of loss of disability-adjusted life years. In theNational Comorbidity Survey, MDD is the most common mental illness and is one of the most common and disabling of all illnesses (Kessler et al., 1994). The lifetime risk for MDD is 10–25% in women and 5–12% in men, and at any point its pre...

Correspondence BRiTISH 301 Tricyclic Antidepressants SIR,-I am worried by one sentence in the article on tricyclic antidepressants (13 April, p. 102): "Jaundice, which is very uncommon , is of the cholestatic type similar to that found in chlorpromazine." This is misleading. Jaundice is one of the more frequent side-effects reported from imipramine and imitrip-tyline, the most widely used membe...

The use of antidepressants in treatment of depression in course of bipolar disorders (BD) is controversial. In case of no improvement during monotherapy with mood stabilizer, the use of antidepressants is often necessary. The safety of this group (in context of phase change, mixed states and rapid cycling) is essential and is the subject of many research. In the paper, the authors review the li...