Tricyclics

Are tricyclic antidepressants more effective?

The short answer is probably not, and a better answer is that this is sort of a stupid question. It’s a question I get asked a lot by students, possibly because I also hear doctors make this proclamation with such certainty that it might as well be the ideal gas law. First of all, “more effective” than what? Than reiki?

Tricyclic antidepressants for preventing migraine in adults

Our present investigation reveals further evidence supporting the use of TCAs to ameliorate the headache burden in adult patients with migraine. Meanwhile, there were no significant differences between amitriptyline and SSRIs or SNRIs in the prophylaxis of migraine,

Cyclic (Tricyclic) Antidepressant Overdose

I had a crazy case of Tricyclic Overdose while on an overnight shift at Janus General.

ECG Pointers: TCA Overdose

A QRS duration >100ms is predictive of seizures and QRS >160ms is highly likely to experience a ventricular dysthymia.

Massive TCA Overdose

How much sodium bicarbonate is too much? Should you give more bicarbonate or move on to other therapeutic options for Massive TCA Overdose?

Tiny Tips: The Effects of TCAs

As outlined in Rosen box 149-1, the major pharmacodynamic effects of TCA’s affect neurotransmitters and ion channels. Acknowledging that 8 effects are not easy to remember, I reclassified them so that they’d fit the easy to recall mnemonic TCA and so that each letter would have 3 actions (I added the effect “Antidepressant” to balance things out).

Tricyclic Antidepressant Toxicity

Tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) are a class of medications traditionally used to treat depression. Currently being more widely prescribed for pain syndromes, peripheral neuropathy, migraine prophylaxis, panic and phobic disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Tricyclic Overdose

Management of Significant Tricyclic Overdose Overdose >10mg/kg with Signs of cardiotoxicity (ECG changes)

Barriers to the use of tricyclic antidepressants in the management of pain

The evidence that tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are effective for the management of pain is incontrovertible. TCAs, and in particular amitriptyline, have more studies demonstrating effectiveness for a broader range of pain syndromes than any other treatment modality.

Clomipramine, yawning, and...orgasm!?

Can people on clomipramine REALLY experience orgasms while yawning... I did a little digging, and I've got your answers. Well some of them anyway.

Comparative efficacy and acceptability of first-generation and second-generation antidepressants in the acute treatment of major depression: protocol for a network meta-analysis

However, even though first-generation antidepressants are no longer agents of choice in many circumstances, TCAs are still used worldwide, especially in low and middle income countries; according to the list of essential medicines issued by the WHO, amitriptyline is one of the two available treatment options for major depression, along with an selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) fluoxetine.

Curious about: Tricyclics

Tricyclic antidepressants increase levels of norepinephrine and serotonin, two neurotransmitters, and block the action of acetylcholine, another neurotransmitter. Scientists believe that by restoring the balance in these neurotransmitters in the brain that tricyclic antidepressants alleviate depression. In addition to relieving depression, tricyclic antidepressants also cause sedation and block the action of histamine.

My experience of taking antidepressants – An everlasting ‘love and hate’, acutely ambivalent affair…

I was prescribed antidepressant medication for the first time in the summer of 1991. My diagnosis back then was ‘anxious clinical depression’, whereas the medication prescribed was a tricyclic antidepressant, Ludiomil, as part of a ‘cocktail’ of psychiatric drugs that included Beta Blockers, anxiolytics and very potent hypnotics.

Not Obsolete: Continuing Roles for TCAs and MAOIs

Since the introduction of the SSRIs, it has been repeatedly observed that severely depressed inpatients, usually those with melancholia, show a more robust response to TCAs than to SSRIs.

Study Links Allergy And Depression Medications To Increased Risk For Dementia

The drugs--used by nearly 20% of the older adult population—are prescribed for a variety of conditions. Such drugs include popular nonprescription sleep aids, such as diphenhydramine (benadryl). Other medications in this category include chlorpheniramine, an older allergy medication as well as tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) such as amitriptyline or doxepin, which are often used in low doses for neuropathic pain as well as migraine prophylaxis. Other examples include ditropan, an older medication commonly used to treat bladder spasms or overactive bladder.

Tricyclic Antidepressant Overdose: A Scientific Overview

TCAs have become an agent of notoriety in emergency departments across the globe in instances of intentional and accidental poisonings due to drug overdoses. It is counted as the 8th and 7th leading cause of toxicity in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Amitriptyline is the most commonly abused TCA, followed by nortriptyline and doxepin.

Tricyclic Antidepressant Toxicity

Having taken a large quantity of TCA (patients may be asymptomatic for 2-3 hours post ingestion) •will develop signs of major toxicity within 6 hours.

Tricyclic Antidepressants and CH

The tricyclics began to see broad use in psychiatry in the early 1950’s with the introduction of imipramine (Tofranil and others), still one of the most-used medications in this group.

Tricyclic Antidepressants in Neuropathic Pain: The Good, the Bad, and the Potentially Ugly

When prescribing any tricyclic antidepressant for the treatment of neuropathic pain, it is important to realize that these drugs are effective at much lower doses in this setting than in depression.

Tricyclics: Still solid performers for the savvy psychiatrist

Tricyclics played an important therapeutic role in the past and are still valuable treatments for depression, anxiety, pain syndromes, and other disorders. It’s time to re-examine TCAs and prescribe them when appropriate.

Why Have the Tricyclic and SSRI Antidepressants Both Failed to Help Children?

The failure of the SSRIs and tricylics to help children's depression should remind us that there's a much greater world out there in which children need help than just their brains.

Some antidepressants linked to dementia risk

Scientists say doctors should consider weaning patients with depression, Parkinsons or bladder problems off anticholinergic drugs

First Generation Antidepressants

Classification from Tulane University.

Tricyclic Antidepressants List

Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs) were developed in the 1950s as a way to treat depression with chemical compounds. These drugs are known for their specific chemical structure consisting of three rings of atoms, hence being referred to as “tri”-cyclic. Tricyclics were developed after researchers began exploring derivatives of the first typical antipsychotic medication Thorazine. Experimentation with derivatives lead to the development of the first TCA drug called “Imipramine.”

Tramadol a Treat

The TCAs are effective antidepressants, but because they tend to cause more side effects than newer drugs, they are rarely used to treat depression any more. They are, however, still commonly used in the treatment of chronic pain, sleep disorders and some other conditions, usually in doses much smaller than would be used for depression.

AlmostaDoctor

Alcohol – together these have an exaggerated depressive effect. ◾MAOIs – so never give these drugs together! MOAIs also have a long duration of action (up to two weeks) so be aware of this when prescribing. ◾Arrhythmia when given with a Q-T prolonging drug.

Confirm Biosciences

Tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) are also called cyclic antidepressants and are one of the first antidepressants developed. This class of drugs has been proven quite effective but its medical use has been limited as there are newer antidepressants with less side effects. However, this drug is still prescribed to patients who fail to respond to other treatments. Tricyclic depressant alleviate depression by making changes in the way neurotransmitters communicate with each other. TCAs increase the level of serotonin, norepinephrine, and two neurotransmitters. They also block the action of another neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. By restoring the neurotransmitters’ balance, tricyclic antidepressants will relieve depression.

GoodTherapy.org

Developed in the 1950s, tricyclic antidepressants, or TCAs, have a strong history of anxiety and depression treatment. The name "tricyclic" comes from the atomic structure of these medications, which consists of three molecular ring shapes. TCAs were first developed when scientists began working on a series of compounds to improve antihistamines, sedatives, analgesics, and anti-Parkinson’s drugs

Patient

Tricyclic antidepressants are not tranquillisers and are not thought to be addictive. Most people can stop tricyclic antidepressants without any problem. At the end of a course of treatment it is usual to reduce the dose gradually over about four weeks before finally stopping.

Psychology Wiki

Tricyclic antidepressant drugs (abbreviation TCA) are a class of antidepressant drugs first used in the 1950s. They are named after the drugs' molecular structure, which contains three rings of atoms (compare tetracyclic antidepressant).

PsyWeb

Tricyclic antidepressants (TCA's) were the first medications to come into widespread use for the treatment of depression. Tricyclic antidepressants (TCA's) are now considered older or first generation antidepressants. They are still good medications and work well for many individuals suffering from depression. However, they tent to cause more annoying side effects than the SSRI's. Tricyclic antidepressants (TCA's) they are not generally effective in treating obsessive compulsive disorder and social phobias.

Science Museum

Tricyclics, named for their three-ring chemical structure, were among the first modern psychiatric drugs. Together with monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), tricyclics dominated the antidepressants market for over three decades, until selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were developed in the 1980s. The first tricyclic antidepressant was imipramine, a drug chemically related to the first drug used against schizophrenia. In the mid 1950s, shortly after the first antidepressants and anti-schizophrenia drugs were discovered, a researcher affiliated with Swiss pharmaceutical company Geigy found imipramine raised the mood of depressed patients. Unlike earlier antidepressants, it produced no ‘energising’ effects in non-depressed people.