This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Vaughan (talk | contribs) at 18:24, 3 August 2003 (Ref to tetracyclics and add list of drugs in use.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 18:24, 3 August 2003 by Vaughan (talk | contribs) (Ref to tetracyclics and add list of drugs in use.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Tricyclic antidepressants are a class of antidepressant drugs first used in the 1960s. 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.
The name tricyclic is derived from the drug's molecular structure which consists of three ring like structures (compare tetracyclic antidepressant).
Antidepressant drugs in the tricyclic drug group include:
- amitriptyline (Elavil,Endep)
- clomipramine (Anafranil)
- desipramine (Norpramin, Pertofrane)
- doxepin (Adapin, Sinequan)
- imipramine (Tofranil)
- nortryptyline (Pamelor)
- protriptyline (Vivactil)
- trimipramine (Surmontil)