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Related Concept Videos

Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents01:23

Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents

Atypical antidepressants, including bupropion (Wellbutrin), mirtazapine (Remeron), nefazodone (Serzone), trazodone (Desyrel), and vilazodone (Viibryd), offer unique mechanisms of action. Bupropion weakly inhibits dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake, aiding depression treatment and smoking cessation, with a low risk of sexual dysfunction. Mirtazapine enhances serotonin and norepinephrine neurotransmission, leading to sedation, increased appetite, and weight gain. As a result, it helps treat...
Antidepressant Drugs: Tricyclics, SSRIs, and SNRIs01:28

Antidepressant Drugs: Tricyclics, SSRIs, and SNRIs

Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs), including Desipramine (Norpramin), Imipramine (Tofranil), Clomipramine (Anafranil), and Amitriptyline (Elavil), inhibit serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake and also block other receptors. They are used for depression, pain conditions, and insomnia. Common adverse effects include anticholinergic effects, sedation, orthostatic hypotension, and weight gain. They have a narrow therapeutic window and so require plasma-level monitoring. Abrupt discontinuation can...
The Placebo Effect01:54

The Placebo Effect

The placebo effect occurs when people's expectations or beliefs influence or determine their experience in a given situation. In other words, simply expecting something to happen can actually make it happen.
Antidepressant Drugs: Overview01:25

Antidepressant Drugs: Overview

Antidepressant drugs are a class of medications primarily used for treating various mood disorders, including major depression, anxiety disorders, and other related conditions. These medicines work by modulating the neurotransmitter balance within the brain, alleviating depressive symptoms. Antidepressants can be broadly categorized into several groups according to their mechanism of action and chemical structure: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), Serotonin-Norepinephrine...
Blind Procedures02:07

Blind Procedures

Ideally, the people who observe and record the children’s behavior are unaware of who was assigned to the experimental or control group, in order to control for experimenter bias. Experimenter bias refers to the possibility that a researcher’s expectations might skew the results of the study. Remember, conducting an experiment requires a lot of planning, and the people involved in the research project have a vested interest in supporting their hypotheses. If the observers knew which child was...
Drug Therapy01:28

Drug Therapy

The advent of drug therapy has profoundly shaped modern mental health care, providing targeted treatments for a range of psychological disorders. Psychotherapeutic drugs, classified into antianxiety, antidepressant, and antipsychotic medications, address symptoms across anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia. While these medications have transformed patient outcomes, they require careful management due to their potential side effects and limitations.
Antianxiety Medications

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 8, 2026

How to Study Placebo Responses in Motion Sickness with a Rotation Chair Paradigm in Healthy Participants
08:50

How to Study Placebo Responses in Motion Sickness with a Rotation Chair Paradigm in Healthy Participants

Published on: December 14, 2014

[Amitriptyline versus placebo for major depression].

Lars Vedel Kessing1, Jens Drachmand Bukh

  • 1Psykiatrisk Center København, Afdeling O, Afsnit 6233, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 København Ø. lars.vedel.kessing@regionh.dk

Ugeskrift for Laeger
|August 20, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Amitriptyline is an effective antidepressant but has side effects. Tricyclic antidepressants like nortriptyline may be preferred for severe depression, especially with melancholic features, due to a better side effect profile.

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MRI-guided dmPFC-rTMS as a Treatment for Treatment-resistant Major Depressive Disorder
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MRI-guided dmPFC-rTMS as a Treatment for Treatment-resistant Major Depressive Disorder

Published on: August 11, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 8, 2026

How to Study Placebo Responses in Motion Sickness with a Rotation Chair Paradigm in Healthy Participants
08:50

How to Study Placebo Responses in Motion Sickness with a Rotation Chair Paradigm in Healthy Participants

Published on: December 14, 2014

MRI-guided dmPFC-rTMS as a Treatment for Treatment-resistant Major Depressive Disorder
08:20

MRI-guided dmPFC-rTMS as a Treatment for Treatment-resistant Major Depressive Disorder

Published on: August 11, 2015

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology
  • Psychiatry
  • Clinical Medicine

Context:

  • Cochrane review highlights amitriptyline efficacy but notes side effects.
  • Comparison with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and dual-action antidepressants.
  • Focus on treatment of severe depression with melancholic features.

Purpose:

  • To discuss the efficacy and side effect profile of amitriptyline in light of recent reviews.
  • To compare tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) with SSRIs and dual-action drugs.
  • To provide evidence-based recommendations for antidepressant selection.

Summary:

  • Amitriptyline is an efficacious antidepressant, but its use is limited by side effects.
  • Tricyclic antidepressants, particularly nortriptyline, show promise for severe depression with melancholic features.
  • Nortriptyline offers a more favorable side effect profile compared to other TCAs.

Impact:

  • Informs clinical decision-making for severe depression treatment.
  • Suggests nortriptyline as a potentially preferred option for specific patient populations.
  • Contributes to the ongoing discussion on optimizing antidepressant therapy.