Kaplan & Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry: Behavioral Sciences/Clinical Psychiatry, 10th Edition

Serotonin and Drugs  Some of the new relations between serotonin and drugs under development are discussed above; however, the historical association of serotonin and psychotropic drugs was first made with the tricyclic drugs and the MAOIs, as described for norepinephrine and epinephrine.  The tricyclic drugs and the MAOIs, respectively, block the uptake and the metabolism of serotonin and norepinephrine, thus increasing the concentration of both neurotransmitters in the synaptic cleft.  Fluoxetine is one of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) that are used in the treatment of depression. Other drugs in that class include paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), fluvoxamine (Luvox), and citalopram (Celexa), all of which are usually associated with minimal adverse effects, especially in