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Abrupt Discontinuation of Tricyclic Antidepressant Drugs: Evidence for Noradrenergic Hyperactivity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Dennis S. Charney ,
George R. Heninger ,
David E. Sternberg  and
D. Harold Landis
Dennis S. Charney*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and the Connecticut Mental Health Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
George R. Heninger
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and the Connecticut Mental Health Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
David E. Sternberg
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and the Connecticut Mental Health Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
D. Harold Landis
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and the Connecticut Mental Health Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
*
∗ Correspondence.
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Summary

The effect of abrupt discontinuation of amitriptyline, desipramine, or imipramine) on norepinephrine turnover and specific symptoms in seven depressed patients was examined. Turnover, as determined by plasma and urinary 3 methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenylethylene glycol (MHPG), was increased to a peak during the second week following discontinuation. There were no changes in blood pressure or heart rate. Two of the seven patients experienced clear increases in anxiety. The implications for the role of noradrenergic function is discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 141 , Issue 4 , October 1982 , pp. 377 - 386
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1982 

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