Antidepressants 1 Flashcards

0
Q

what are examples of TCAs?

A

imipramine and amitriptyline

more recent ones- clomipramine, dothiepin and lofepramine= fewer side effects

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1
Q

what are the 3 classes of drugs used to treat depression, mania?

A

Tricyclic antidepressants TCAs
monoamine oxidase inhibitors MOAIs
specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors SSRIs

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2
Q

what is a benefit of TCAs?

A

they are the most efficacious at treating all forms of depression- mild to very severe

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3
Q

what is the mechanism of action of TCAs?

A

block reuptake of amines- NA and 5-HT
not very selective
their metabolites are active but sometimes have different selectivity
they cause increased functional availability of monoamines - in the synapse
this is the direct mode of action becaues other drugs can do the same but they are not antidepressants

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4
Q

what is the therapeutic delay of TCAs?

A

2-4 weeks

often get worse before getting better

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5
Q

what are TCAs thought to do ?

A

down regulate of receptors for various CNS neurotransmitters such as NA and 5-HT
beta receptors down regulated by most TCAs but this is unlikely to be the real MOA because beta blockers are not antidepressants

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6
Q

what are the effects of TCAs in man?

A

MOOD EFFECTS - only affect depressed patients, mood returns to normal after about 2-4 week delay
AUTONOMIC EFFECTS - these may cause a decrease in mood, fall in BP due to blocking alpha receptors, atropinic effects- blurred vision an dry mouth
SEDATION, HYPNOSIS- may be a benefit as depressed patients often suffer from a lack of sleep
CARDIOTOXICITY- tachycardia, dysrhythmia, important in overdose, nt just related to increased NA release

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7
Q

what are the CNS effects in acute overdose?

A
excitement 
delirium
convulsions
later coma, respiratory depression 
may take days to recover
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8
Q

what drugs do TCAs interact with ?

A

antihypertensives - need uptake system - alpha methyldopa
thryoid hormones potentiate TCAs
summation of MAOIs - none of these antidepressants can be taken together, especially not the TCAs with MAOIs and MAOIs with SSRIs

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9
Q

what are some examples of SSRIs ?

A
fluoxetine (prozac) 
citalopram 
paroxetine 
sertraline 
these are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants
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10
Q

what are the benefits of SSRIs compared to TCAs?

A

lower autonomic effects - atropinic
lower cardiovascular effects
lower acute toxicity
less sedation

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11
Q

what is delay caused by SSRIs?

A

2-4 week delat

they are all very similar and have some NA reuptake inhibtion

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12
Q

what are the side effects of SSRIs ?

A
nausea, anorexia 
insomnia , rather than sedation 
aggression and violence 
sexual dysfunction 
loss of libido 
failure to orgasm 
lower acute toxicity
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13
Q

what happens if you take an SSRI and a MAOI together ?

A

“serotonin syndrome”- excessive serotonin in CNS and PNS
causes tremors, CVS collapse, decrease in BP, hyperthermia and can be fatal
caused mainly by over stimulation of 5HT1A

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14
Q

where is MAO found?

A

they are intracellular found in mitochondria

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15
Q

what are the 2 isoforms of MAO?

A

A and B
distinguished by substrate specificity
A is more important for serotonin
B prefers NA and DA - B inhbits the breakdown of DA so its involved in parkinsons disease but it is not involved in antidepressant effects

16
Q

what does MAO-A deficit humans have ?

A

seem to show violent behaviour, mental retardation - strong aggressive behaviour

17
Q

what were MAOIs originally used for ?

A

used as anti-TB dugs

wasnt useful for TB but seemed to make the patients feel happier

18
Q

what is the main purpose of MAOIs ?

A

increases the amount of monoamine neurotransmitters

19
Q

what is the result of the antidepressant effects caused by when using MAOIs?

A

due to MAO-A inhibition
these have a link to 5-HT because they increase 5HT levels
also increases NA
levels are increased in both the CNS and PNS and plasma

20
Q

what effect does having increased intracellular levels of 5HT by MAOIs?

A

causes reversal of transporter to release serotonin into cleft

21
Q

describe phenylzine:

A

non selective between A and B

long lasting covalent bonding

22
Q

describe tranylcypramine:

A

not as stable binding so recovery is quicker

23
Q

describe clorgyline:

A

MAO-A selective

24
Q

what are the effects of MAOIs?

A

mood elevation- delay 2 weeks, occurs in both depressed and normal ptients
mood swings- agitation, hypomania
atropinic effects- central action causing reduced parasympathetic outflow
hepatotoxicity- uncommon, monitor liver function
hypertensive crisis
severe headache and hypertensive crisis- occur with interactions with TCAs, precursor of amines(L-DOPA), tyramine in food
abnormal syndrome with pethidine- causes fever, restlessness, coma, hypotension

25
Q

why are MAOIs usually used in hospitals ?

A

due to its hepatoxcity

it cannot be used in patients with liver disease

26
Q

what is the cheese effect ?

A

increased tyramine caused by MAOIs
tyramine is normally degraded by MAO in the gut and liver

foods high in tyramine include: red wine and marmite

27
Q

what is the abnormal syndrome with pethidine caused by MAOIs?

A

result of the formation of abnormal metabolite - norpethidine demethylated form after inhbition of MAO
could possibly effect other enzymes

28
Q

what causes depression ?

A

many different subtypes so likely there are many reasons
50% depressive show high ACTH levels- there circadian rhythms for release are lost
sleep disturbances - changes in REM
- evidence is this is that there are 12 hours phase shifts
- evidence of sleep deprivation/changes has relieved depression in some cases
HOWEVER too much cortisol is not actually causing depression

29
Q

what is the biogenic amine hypothesis ?

A

original simplistic theory that depression is caused by decreased amine levels in the brain - NA particularly but also serotonin and dopamine

30
Q

what evidence of there to support the biogenic amine hypothesis ?

A

poor evidence for the differences but there is good supporting evidence from drugs such as reserpine inducing depression and TCAs and MAOIs relieving it

31
Q

what do SSRIs do ?

A

they block reuptake pump which increaases serotonin in the somatodendritic area
this causes the desensitisation of the 5HT-1a autoreceptors
this reduces the inhibition of serotonin release- it stops the -ve feedback loop
this increases serotonin from the axonal terminal
the post synaptic receptor desensitise so this increases the chance of serotonin binding to a serotonin receptor