We are revisiting psychopharmacology in our second psychopharm series. We will kick things off by talking about the “older antidepressants”- tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). While these medications are used less frequently than SSRIs due to their side effect profiles, both TCAs and MAOIs have their select uses in psychiatry (i.e. treatment resistant depression or comorbid pain). We’ll discuss the history behind TCAs and MAOIs, their respective mechanisms of action, common class side effects, and specific medications within each class. We’ll also review unique considerations with MAOIs (including dietary restrictions, hypertensive crisis, and serotonin syndrome) and TCAs (including cardiac toxicity in overdose).

Photo Credit: CiaoHo, “DSC_4598,” Flickr

Episode Music Credits: Javier Suárez, Tumbling Dishes, Better With Music