tricyclic antidepressant (redirected from tricyclic antidepressant drug)

antidepressant /an·ti·de·pres·sant/ (an″te-) (an″ti-de-pres´ant) preventing or relieving depression; also, an agent that so acts.

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tricyclic antidepressant  any of a class of drugs with particular tricyclic structure and potentiating catecholamine action; used for the treatment of depression.

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tri·cy·clic antidepressant (tr-sklk, -sklk)

n.

Any of a class of antidepressants, such as amitriptyline, that are structurally related to the phenothiazine antipsychotics.

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tricyclic antidepressant (TCA),

any of group of antidepressant drugs that contain three fused rings in their chemical structure and that potentiate the action of catecholamines; they rapidly block the reuptake of amine neurotransmitters, but the exact mechanism of their effect is unknown because a period of time is required for the beneficial antidepressant effects to appear. The tricyclic antidepressants include a number of compounds, which may be grouped into four classes on the basis of chemical structure: dibenzazepines, dibenzocycloheptadienes, dibenzoxazepines, and dibenzoxepines. Besides their use to treat depression, various tricyclic antidepressants are used for other conditions, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and neurogenic pain.

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tricyclic antidepressant

Pharmacology Any psychoactive dibenzozepine derivative–eg, which have 3 central rings and a short linear chain attached to the terminal nitrogen and are thus tertiary amines Lab TA levels correlate poorly with the clinical status, as circulating levels of the highly lipid-soluble TCA represent a minute portion of the body load, and TCA metabolites with similar clinical effects may not be measured Clinical, overdose Parasympathetic disease with anticholinergic effects–eg, mydriasis, xerostomia, urinary retention, ↓ peristalsis, cardiac disease–intractable myocardial depression, hypotension, ventricular tachycardia, fibrillation, or heart block and CNS disease–confusion, agitation, hallucinations, myoclonus, seizures, lethargy that may progress to coma and respiratory arrest Adverse effects Dry mouth, constipation, blurred vision, hyperthermia, weakness, fatigue, lethargy, insomnia, confusion, seizures, ↓ peristalsis, hypotension, coma. See Desipramine, Imipramine, Nortriptyline, Therapeutic drug monitoring, Tricyclic antidepressant suicide. Cf Fluoxetine, Monoamine oxidase inhibitors.