Antidepressants are drugs used for the treatment of depression and many
other psychiatric conditions. Albeit belonging to different chemical families and with a
number of mechanisms of action, all of them enhance neurotransmitters at the synaptic
cleft. They have a range of adverse effects and effectiveness compared with placebo,
according to meta-analysis. However, they have shown to be efficacious in the elderly.
Second-generation antidepressants are safer and better tolerated, but not devoid of side
effects, something not to be forgotten when treating a population in which frailty and
polypharmacy are common.
Keywords: Antidepressants, Arrhythmia, Bipolar disorder, Bupropion,
Citalopram, Depression, Duloxetine, Early onset depression, Escitalopram,
Hypericum perforatum, Hyponatremia, Late onset depression, Lithium,
Mirtazapine, Monoamine oxidease Inhibitors (MAOIs), Obsessive-compulsive
disorder, Pharmacokinetic interactions, Rapid cycling, Seizures, Selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitors, Serotonin and noradrenalin reuptake inhibitors
(SSRIs), Sertraline, Suicide, Trazodone, Tricyclic antidepressants.
