8 Because of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions (potentiation or diminution), severe side effects may be induced or be the reason for absence of response. Better understanding of the principles of clinical pharmacology and education in clinical pharmacology are thus major tasks for the future. The current prescription of psychotropic drugs appears to be well codified for most of the different ICD-10 categories (Table I). Table I. The transnological prescription of antidepressants (AD), neuroleptics (NL), and benzodiazepines (BZD) according to ICD-10 categories (Section V). Clinical treatment with antidepressants Drugs for the treatment of affective

disorders were discovered by serendipity. Imipramine Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical was found to improve mood while being used in a protocol to search for an antipsychotic:’ Iproniazid, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical a drug used in the treatment of tuberculosis, was likewise found to have beneficial effects on mood.9 The former, a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA), and the latter, a monoamine selleck products oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), belong to two classes of drugs still in use today. Depressive mood appears to be attributable to

diminished Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical activity of the dopaminergic, noradrenergic, and serotonergic neurotransmitter systems. Antidepressants restore the activity of these transmitters by inhibiting reuptake in the presynaptic neurons. Additionally, the classic antidepressants have effects on other neurons (eg, histamine, acetylcholine), resulting in major side effects limiting their broader use. Depressive symptoms have been described in as many as 40 different disorders, which would imply that they could be used in all of them.10 Although the efficacy of TCAs has been well established, the high incidence of side effects Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and the high number of nonresponders or treatment-resistant patients represent drawbacks that have made it necessary to search for new drugs. The development of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) was the first attempt based on a pathophysiological approach. These drugs, which Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical have similar efficacy,

but less side effects than the TCAs, have become the preferred pharmacological treatment for depression. However, the high number of nonresponders and the delay in onset of response have limited their value. Some studies claim that they are less effective than TCAs in severe mafosfamide depression.11 Therefore, antidepressants with dual action have been developed. Today, up to seven different classes of antidepressants are available, which mainly differ in their selectivity for the respective monoamines and their receptors.12 These discoveries have intensively stimulated biochemical-pharmacological research into the mechanism of action of antidepressants. Findings from these investigations suggest that enhanced activity of the central noradrenergic and/or serotonergic transmitter system is essential for the clinical antidepressant action.