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Antidepressant drugs: additional clinical uses.
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.
The Journal of Family Practice
|February 1, 1989
Summary
Antidepressants treat more than depression, including various childhood and adult disorders. Therapeutic drug monitoring of antidepressant serum levels aids treatment effectiveness, especially when target levels differ from those for depression.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Antidepressants, including tricyclic, tetracyclic, and heterocyclic classes, have a long history of efficacy in psychiatric practice.
- Beyond major depression, these medications are now utilized for a diverse array of conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of antidepressant treatment for various disorders.
- To focus on pharmacologic data linking serum levels to clinical response.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on antidepressant use in non-depressive disorders.
- Analysis of available pharmacologic data regarding serum level measurements and clinical outcomes.
Main Results:
- Antidepressants are effective for enuresis, attention-deficit disorders, eating disorders, panic disorder, PTSD, OCD, chronic pain, migraine, and peptic ulcer disease.
- Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is valuable, particularly when optimal blood levels for these conditions differ from those for depression.
Conclusions:
- Antidepressant serum level monitoring can be a crucial adjunct to treatment for various psychiatric and medical conditions.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate the relationship between serum levels and clinical response across all treated disorders.