• antidepressant drugs

    TITLE: antidepressant
    ...they are composed chemically of three carbon rings, inhibit the active reuptake, to varying degrees, of norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine in the brain. The tricyclics include imipramine, amitriptyline, desipramine, nortriptyline, and a number of other compounds. These drugs relieve symptoms in a high proportion (more than 70 percent) of depressed patients. As with the MAOIs, the...
  • poisons and poisoning

    TITLE: poison (biochemistry): Antidepressants
    SECTION: Antidepressants
    Among tricyclic antidepressants, amitriptyline and imipramine account for most of the fatal cases of poisoning. These drugs have a number of effects, including blockage of the parasympathetic system and damage to the central nervous system, the latter producing symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, lowered body temperature, seizures, and respiratory depression (Table 3). Death is usually caused...