The Toxicity of Antidepressants

Abstract

Considerable attention has been paid, both by regulatory authorities and clinicians, to the side-effects of antidepressants, but despite the known high suicide risk in depression, toxicity in overdosage has been largely ignored. On the basis of the evidence currently available, ‘older’ antidepressants appear to be more toxic than ‘newer’ agents. A case can be made for limiting the use of some of the older tricyclic antidepressants, especially in patients who remain in the community, when continuous supervision is lacking, in favour of newer, safer drugs.