Abstract

New-generation antidepressants are a heterogeneous class of drugs used in the treatment of depression and related disorders. This review deals with the first new-generation antidepressant class to enter the pharmaceutical market, i.e., selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are still the most prescribed and widely used ones. Their common characteristics are the comparable clinical efficacy, good tolerability and relative safety in comparison to "first generation antidepressants", i.e. classic tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. This class of drugs includes fluoxetine, citalopram, paroxetine, sertraline, fluvoxamine and, since 2011, vilazodone. In this review, the main pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of the six commercially available SSRIs are described, focusing on side and toxic effects, chemical-clinical correlations, interactions with other drugs, the role of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and related bioanalytical methodologies.

Links

Publisher Full Text

Authors

Mandrioli R, Mercolini L, Saracino MA, Raggi MA

Institution

Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Laboratory of Pharmaco-Toxicological Analysis, Via Belmeloro 6, 40126 Bologna, Italy. roberto.mandrioli@unibo.it

Source

Current medicinal chemistry 19:12 2012 pg 1846-63

MeSH

Benzofurans
Citalopram
Depressive Disorder
Drug Monitoring
Fluoxetine
Fluvoxamine
Humans
Indoles
Paroxetine
Piperazines
Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors
Sertraline

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

Language

eng

PubMed ID

22414078