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Amitriptyline and Depressions

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NeuroPsychopharmacotherapy

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Abstract

Amitriptyline was the second tricyclic antidepressant to be introduced into practice in the United States. In a network meta-analysis, amitriptyline is equivalent to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and is superior to trazodone, fluoxetine, and reboxetine in efficacy. Dropouts for reasons of adverse effects were higher than for most antidepressants particularly in the outpatient setting. Therapeutic drug monitoring improves clinical utility since there are wide individual differences in serum drug levels per dose. Drug interactions are a result of competitive inhibition with the mixed function oxidases CYP2D6 and CYP2C19. Amitriptyline is effective in treating melancholic depression and psychotic depression if combined with an antipsychotic in the latter instance but increases the risk of mania in bipolar disorders. Amitriptyline adverse effects are largely related to antimuscarinic side effects. Overdoses are highly lethal due to arrhythmias.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Palliative Care, Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, PA, USA

    Mellar P. Davis

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  1. Mellar P. Davis
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Correspondence to Mellar P. Davis .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept Psychiatry , Psychosomatics & Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Medical School Clinical Neurochemistry, Würzburg, Germany

    Peter Riederer

  2. Inst für Psychologische Medizin, Haag, Bayern, Germany

    Gerd Laux

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto Department of Psychiatry, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Benoit Mulsant

  4. Center Translational Res Neurol Diseases, Dalian Med Uni Shanghai Inst Health Sc Center Translational Res Neurol Diseases, Dalian, China

    Weidong Le

  5. Fujita Health University School Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan

    Toshiharu Nagatsu

Section Editor information

  1. Inst für Psychologische Medizin, Haag, Germany

    Gerd Laux

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany

    Hans-Jürgen Möller

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Davis, M.P. (2020). Amitriptyline and Depressions. In: Riederer, P., Laux, G., Mulsant, B., Le, W., Nagatsu, T. (eds) NeuroPsychopharmacotherapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56015-1_81-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56015-1_81-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-56015-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-56015-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference MedicineReference Module Medicine

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