selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor

drug
Also known as: SSRI

Learn about this topic in these articles:

antidepressant action

  • Prozac
    In antidepressant

    SSRIs were introduced in the 1980s, and shortly thereafter they became some of the most commonly used antidepressants, primarily because they have fewer side effects than tricyclics or MAOIs. SSRIs include fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft). SSRIs are also used in the treatment…

    Read More
  • Prozac
    In depression: Treatments for depression

    …of medications, tricyclic antidepressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs; e.g., fluoxetine [Prozac]), though chemically different, both serve to prevent the presynaptic reuptake of serotonin (and in the case of tricyclic antidepressants, norepinephrine as well). This results in the buildup or accumulation of neurotransmitters in the brain and allows them…

    Read More
  • Prozac
    In antidepressant

    …selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Other important groups include the norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (NRIs), the serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and the atypical antidepressants, a disparate group of agents that possess unique structural features and mechanisms of action.

    Read More

drugs commonly involved in overdoses

  • Drug addiction
    In drug overdose: Drugs involved in overdose

    …such as tricyclic antidepressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), respectively. Stimulants include cocaine, amphetamine, and methamphetamine; prescription stimulants, such as those used for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or depression, are less frequently involved with

    Read More

risk of autism

  • autistic artist Chris Murray
    In autism: Possible causes and risk factors

    antidepressants (namely SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) during pregnancy and maternal and paternal age at the time of conception. A study of more than 4.9 million births that took place in the U.S. state of California between 1990 and 1999 revealed that about 5 percent of the nearly…

    Read More

treatment of psychiatric disorders

  • Prozac
    In therapeutics: Mental disorders

    The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Prozac, match previous antidepressants in effectiveness and have fewer unpleasant side effects. They also are safer if an overdose is taken, which is a significant threat in the case of severely depressed patients.

    Read More

types of antidepressant drugs