Antidepressant drugs Flashcards
What us depression?
Common affective mood disorder
How does depression affect emotions?
misery; apathy; pessimism; low self-esteem; indecisiveness; loss of motivation
What is the biological component of depression?
impaired thought and action; loss of libido; sleep disturbance; loss of appetite
What is unipolar (reactive) depression?
mood swings in the same direction; mostly due to the persons overall environment at the time
What is bipolar affective disorder?
depression that alternates with mania; manic symptoms are opposite to the usual depression
What are the enzymatic steps in the synthesis of noradrenaline?
tyrosine>DOPA>dopamine>noradrenaline
What monoamines are lacking in depression?
noradrenaline and 5HT
what neurotransmitter is said to be increased or more in depression?
Ach
What are the 4 drug classes used to treat depression?
Monoamine uptake inhibitors (TCA and SSRIs); Monoamine oxidase inhibitors; monoamine receptor antagonists; melatonin receptor agonists
How do Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) work?
bind to transport proteins blocking re-uptake 1 for noradrenergic neurons increasing levels of neurotransmitter in the synaptic cleft
What is an example of a tricyclic antidepressant?
imipramine (Tofranil)
What does SSRI stand for?
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
What are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants?
SSRIs
2 examples of SSRIs
Fluoxetine (Prozac); sertraline
How do monoamine oxidase inhibitors work?
they prevent MAO-A and MAO-B isoenzymes which break down reuptake of noradrenaline from the synaptic cleft
