Biomaterial Database

[Drug therapy of depression: benefits and limits of blood levels of tricyclic antidepressants]. 1981

P Baumann

The introduction of sensitive methods has rendered possible a multitude of studies on the relationship between plasma levels of tricyclics and their clinical effectiveness. However, there are conflicting reports concerning the existence of a "therapeutic window" for the usual antidepressives such as amitriptyline, nortriptyline, chlorimipramine, imipramine, desipramine and maprotiline. The dosage is not indicated routinely but may provide useful hints when the patient does not respond to treatment or does not take the prescribed medication regularly (non-compliance). Plasma measurements of tricyclics have served to investigate the interaction of other drugs, the advantages of single or multiple dosage, the influence of the patient's age and sex and the existence of active metabolites. Other questions have been raised concerning the real efficacy of the drugs, and also concerning the type of depression which responds to this treatment.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D003692	Delayed-Action Preparations	Dosage forms of a drug that act over a period of time by controlled-release processes or technology.	Controlled Release Formulation,Controlled-Release Formulation,Controlled-Release Preparation,Delayed-Action Preparation,Depot Preparation,Depot Preparations,Extended Release Formulation,Extended Release Preparation,Prolonged-Action Preparation,Prolonged-Action Preparations,Sustained Release Formulation,Sustained-Release Preparation,Sustained-Release Preparations,Timed-Release Preparation,Timed-Release Preparations,Controlled-Release Formulations,Controlled-Release Preparations,Extended Release Formulations,Extended Release Preparations,Slow Release Formulation,Sustained Release Formulations,Controlled Release Formulations,Controlled Release Preparation,Controlled Release Preparations,Delayed Action Preparation,Delayed Action Preparations,Formulation, Controlled Release,Formulations, Controlled Release,Prolonged Action Preparation,Release Formulation, Controlled,Release Formulations, Controlled,Sustained Release Preparation,Timed Release Preparation,Timed Release Preparations
D003863	Depression	Depressive states usually of moderate intensity in contrast with MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER present in neurotic and psychotic disorders.	Depressive Symptoms,Emotional Depression,Depression, Emotional,Depressive Symptom,Symptom, Depressive
D004305	Dose-Response Relationship, Drug	The relationship between the dose of an administered drug and the response of the organism to the drug.	Dose Response Relationship, Drug,Dose-Response Relationships, Drug,Drug Dose-Response Relationship,Drug Dose-Response Relationships,Relationship, Drug Dose-Response,Relationships, Drug Dose-Response
D006207	Half-Life	The time it takes for a substance (drug, radioactive nuclide, or other) to lose half of its pharmacologic, physiologic, or radiologic activity.	Halflife,Half Life,Half-Lifes,Halflifes
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000929	Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic	Substances that contain a fused three-ring moiety and are used in the treatment of depression. These drugs block the uptake of norepinephrine and serotonin into axon terminals and may block some subtypes of serotonin, adrenergic, and histamine receptors. However, the mechanism of their antidepressant effects is not clear because the therapeutic effects usually take weeks to develop and may reflect compensatory changes in the central nervous system.	Antidepressants, Tricyclic,Tricyclic Antidepressant,Tricyclic Antidepressant Drug,Tricyclic Antidepressive Agent,Tricyclic Antidepressive Agents,Antidepressant Drugs, Tricyclic,Agent, Tricyclic Antidepressive,Agents, Tricyclic Antidepressive,Antidepressant Drug, Tricyclic,Antidepressant, Tricyclic,Antidepressive Agent, Tricyclic,Drug, Tricyclic Antidepressant,Drugs, Tricyclic Antidepressant,Tricyclic Antidepressant Drugs,Tricyclic Antidepressants
D001711	Biotransformation	The chemical alteration of an exogenous substance by or in a biological system. The alteration may inactivate the compound or it may result in the production of an active metabolite of an inactive parent compound. The alterations may be divided into METABOLIC DETOXICATION, PHASE I and METABOLIC DETOXICATION, PHASE II.