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| Tricyclic antidepressants are not addictive. Although they remain effective, they have been increasingly replaced by | Tricyclic antidepressants are not addictive. Although they remain effective, they have been increasingly replaced by | ||
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] because the difference between | ||
| a therapeutic and a toxic dose of a tricyclic antidepressant is small. Like ]s, this posed a | a therapeutic and a toxic dose of a tricyclic antidepressant is small. Like ]s, this posed a | ||
Revision as of 17:21, 19 January 2002
Tricyclic antidepressants are a class of antidepressant drugs
first used in the 1960s. They were discovered by accident, in that one
drug in this class was intended to treat tuberculosis. It was found
that it was not suitable for this purpose as the drug elevated the mood
of the patients making them less likely to rest, as was necessary for
their condition.
Tricyclic antidepressants are not addictive. Although they remain effective, they have been increasingly replaced by
SSRIs because the difference between
a therapeutic and a toxic dose of a tricyclic antidepressant is small. Like monoamine oxidase inhibitors, this posed a
difficulty for the physician in that they were prescribing a
medication for a depressed person that could be used to
commit suicide.