The medical consequences of the selection of an antidepressant

Patients who take antidepressants risk developing adverse drug reactions with medical sequelae. I will review noncardiac adverse drug reactions to antidepressant organized around (1) the effect of antidepressants on neurotransmitter systems and monoamine oxidase along with effects on concomitant physiologic systems, (2) side effects that are seen clinically but may or may not be related to antidepressant effects on neurotransmitter systems, (3) medical conditions that affect the choice of certain antidepressants, (4) antidepressant toxicity with overdose, and (5) recommendations for using antidepressants with the least probability of causing severe adverse drug reactions.