![Picture](/uploads/2/0/6/1/20610398/6939705.jpg?363)
Tricyclics (TCA's)
History: Tricyclic antidepressants were originally found on accident while searching for a better phenothiazine antipsychotic.Imipramine was the first tricyclic antidepressant which caused many others to follow. The drug was tested in 1958 and proved to have little effect of patients with psychosis, but improved the symptoms of patients suffering from depression.[1]
Modes of intake: TCA's are commonly taken by mouth in pill form. It generally takes 4 hours for the drug to reach peak blood levels.[2]
Immediate effects: TCA's block the parasympathetic nervous system causing immediate symptoms such as dry mouth, constipation, dizziness, ringing in the ears, blurred vision and irregular heartbeat. Tricyclics commonly cause sleepiness and high dosages are known to cause nightmares.[2]
Long term effects: Acute dosages of TCA's can cause cognitive and psychomotor impairment. It is not safe for people who drive, use heavy equipment or do intellectual work to take high doses of these drugs. It is commonly found that tricyclics interfere with male sexual functions, but the problems are not extensive. Sudden discontinuation of high doses of TCA's can cause severe withdrawal symptoms including anxiety, chills, restlessness, muscle aches and compulsions to move.[2]
Medical Applications: TCA's are used to help treat patients suffering from depression. These drugs are not self-administered unless a physician prescribes them for the treatment of depression. They are rarely sold illicitly on the street and do not seem to be used for non-medical purposes.[2]
Misuse and Abuse: TCA's are the third most common cause of drug-related deaths, primarily because of the effect they have on the contractility of the heart. This becomes a large concern when these drugs are being prescribed to people suffering from depression and are potentially contemplating suicide. A large amount of the doses of antidepressants are destroyed in the body before it reaches the bloodstream. The liver and digestive system work to break it down. As a result, alcohol increases the amount of the antidepressant that makes it into the bloodstream. Overdoses of TCA's are much more severe when taken simultaneously with alcohol.[2]
Picture [3]
History: Tricyclic antidepressants were originally found on accident while searching for a better phenothiazine antipsychotic.Imipramine was the first tricyclic antidepressant which caused many others to follow. The drug was tested in 1958 and proved to have little effect of patients with psychosis, but improved the symptoms of patients suffering from depression.[1]
Modes of intake: TCA's are commonly taken by mouth in pill form. It generally takes 4 hours for the drug to reach peak blood levels.[2]
Immediate effects: TCA's block the parasympathetic nervous system causing immediate symptoms such as dry mouth, constipation, dizziness, ringing in the ears, blurred vision and irregular heartbeat. Tricyclics commonly cause sleepiness and high dosages are known to cause nightmares.[2]
Long term effects: Acute dosages of TCA's can cause cognitive and psychomotor impairment. It is not safe for people who drive, use heavy equipment or do intellectual work to take high doses of these drugs. It is commonly found that tricyclics interfere with male sexual functions, but the problems are not extensive. Sudden discontinuation of high doses of TCA's can cause severe withdrawal symptoms including anxiety, chills, restlessness, muscle aches and compulsions to move.[2]
Medical Applications: TCA's are used to help treat patients suffering from depression. These drugs are not self-administered unless a physician prescribes them for the treatment of depression. They are rarely sold illicitly on the street and do not seem to be used for non-medical purposes.[2]
Misuse and Abuse: TCA's are the third most common cause of drug-related deaths, primarily because of the effect they have on the contractility of the heart. This becomes a large concern when these drugs are being prescribed to people suffering from depression and are potentially contemplating suicide. A large amount of the doses of antidepressants are destroyed in the body before it reaches the bloodstream. The liver and digestive system work to break it down. As a result, alcohol increases the amount of the antidepressant that makes it into the bloodstream. Overdoses of TCA's are much more severe when taken simultaneously with alcohol.[2]
Picture [3]