In lecturing to medical students, residents, and psychiatrists during the past several years, we have encountered widespread hesitancy in the use of MAOIs and even TCAs, mainly because of concerns about their safety but also because of doubts about their effectiveness compared with newer alternatives. Thus, it is timely to review the literature on the efficacy and safety of TCAs and MAOIs, with...

MONOAMINE OXIDASE INHIBITORS Phenelzine (Nardil) and tranylcypromine (Parnate) are the two most commonly prescribed MAOIs in the United States, and they account for the majority of toxicity seen with this class of agents. The pharmacologic effects of MAOIs are listed in Box 147.1. These effects in overdose may result in a sympathomimetic toxidrome followed by profound hypotension. A therapeutic...

Isocarboxazid is the only one of the classical monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), which is marketed in Denmark. In 1980 a paper on long-term treatment of depression with isocarboxazid suggested that treatment with monoamine oxidase inhibitors like isocarboxazid should not be left untried in the case of therapy-resistant depression [1]. This is in accordance with the registered indication of ...

SEE CORRESPONDING ARTICLE ON PAGE 16 TAAR1-Dependent and -Independent Actions of Tyramine in Interaction With Glutamate Underlie Central Effects Monoamine Oxidase InhibitionBiological PsychiatryVol. 90Issue 1PreviewMonoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) exert therapeutic actions by elevating extracellular levels monoamines the brain. Irreversible MAOIs cause serious hypertensive crises owing to p...

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is a major health concern. More than 40% of patients treated for major depressive disorder with an appropriate antidepressant dose for an adequate duration fail to respond. Further, approximately half of adults with major depressive disorder fail to achieve sustained remission despite various medication trials. The utilization of monoamine oxidase inhibitors...

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have become the most popular antidepressants over the last decade, largely because they have a better side effect profile than the medications that were widely used previously, the tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and the monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). The SSRIs mostly have one main mechanism of action, inhibition of serotonin reuptake. A f...

Given the relationship between sleep and depression, there is inevitably going to be an effect of antidepressants on sleep. Current evidence suggests that this effect depends on the class of antidepressant used and the dosage. The extent of variation between the effects of antidepressants and sleep may relate to their mechanism of action. This systematic review examines randomised-controlled tr...

Adverse cardiovascular responses to anesthesia during either electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or elective surgical procedures were evaluated in 27 patients maintained on chronic (3 months-3 yr) monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) therapy. Changes in blood pressure and heart rate in study patients (n = 22 ECTs in 13 patients) undergoing ECT were not significantly different from those observed in p...