Antidepressant Drugs

This chapter is a comprehensive account of the medicinal chemistry of the antidepressant drugs. It provides the mechanism of drug action and details of the structure-activity relationships (SAR) of the antidepressant and related drugs to give the knowledge base for pharmacists. After a study of this chapter, students will be able to:

• Relate principles of affective disorders including the biogenic amine hypothesis and depression.

• Describe the roles of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine in depression and how these roles relate to the mechanism of action of antidepressant drugs.

• Describe different classes of antidepressant drugs with examples.

• Compare the chemical structures of all the classes of antidepressant drugs and relate their action with structures.

• Illustrate the mechanism of action, SAR, metabolites, and clinical considerations of: ▪ Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors

o Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs)

o Phenylalkylamines

▪ Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

o Phenoxyphenylalkyl amines

o Phenylalkylamine

▪ Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)

▪ Miscellaneous antidepressant drugs

Keywords: Antidepressant drugs, Clinical use of antidepressant Drugs, Drug receptor interaction, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Selective Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (NRIs), Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs) Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), Structure-Activity Relationship (SAR).