Monoamine oxidase inhibitors lithium

The triptans should be used with caution in patients on lithium, monoamine oxidase inhibitors or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, due to the rare occurrence of the serotonin syndrome. 

Tricyclic antidepressants Monoamine oxidase inhibitors Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors Antipsychotics Phenothiazines Risperidone Lithium... 

Bonson KR, Buckholtz JW, Murphy DL. (1996). Chronic administration of serotonergic antidepressants attenuates the subjective effects of LSD in humans. Neuropsychopharmacology. 14(6) 425-36, Bonson KR, Murphy DL. (1996). Alterations in responses to LSD in humans associated with chronic administration of tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, or lithium. Behav Brain Res. 73(1-2) 229-33. 

Alternatively, severe impulsivity or aggression can also be treated by anticonvulsant augmentation, particularly with valproic acid. When these initial steps have failed, other therapies can be tried including augmentation with lithium or proprauo-lol or initiation of a monoamine oxidase inhibitor. 

It can be argued that the introduction of lithium salts into the practice of psychiatry in 1949 heralded the beginning of psychopharmacology, as it predated the discovery of chlorpromazine, imipramine, monoamine oxidase inhibitors and resperine. Lithium came into clinical use serendipitously, the Australian psychiatrist Cade having by chance given it to a small group of manic patients and found that it had beneficial effects. 

Recently research has focused on the action of lithium on serotonergic function. Lithium has been shown to facilitate the uptake and synthesis of 5-HT, to enhance its release and to increase the transport of tryptophan into the nerve terminal, an effect which probably contributes to the increased 5-HT synthesis. The net effect of these changes is to produce postsynaptic receptor events, which might explain why lithium, in combination with tryptophan and a monoamine oxidase inhibitor or a 5-HT uptake inhibitor, is often effective in therapy-resistant depression. 

Serotonergic drugs - antidepressants maprotUine, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, drug combinations with specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors causing the serotonin syndrome - lithium, LSD, MDMA... 

Dmg-induced serotonin syndrome is generally mild and resolves when the offending drugs are stopped. However, it can be severe and deaths have occurred. A large number of drugs have been implicated including tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), pethidine, lithium, and dextromethorphan. The most severe type of reaction has occurred with the combination of selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Both non-selective MAOIs such as phenelzine and selective MAOIs such as moclobemide and selegiline have been implicated. 

The first psychotropics of the modern era (e.g., lithium, neuroleptic antipsychotics, tricyclic and monoamine oxidase inhibitor antidepressants) were discovered serendipitously. These agents were not engineered to have selective actions, but instead produce a wide range of central biochemical effects and generally affect more than one neurotransmitter system simultaneously, resulting in multiple repercussions ... 

By contrast, a number of studies have not found verapamil monotherapy to be effective for acute mania (Table 10-14). Several case reports in the literature have not supported verapamil s potential antimanic properties. For example. Barton and Gitlin ( 262) found that none of eight acutely manic or hypomanic patients treated openly improved on verapamil. By contrast, there are several case reports of hypomania (some monoamine oxidase inhibitor—induced) improving with verapamil. Dubovsky (255) notes that, in his experience with spontaneous mania, he has been unimpressed with verapamil in patients who had previously been unresponsive to lithium. 

Previous good response to specific and adequate somatic antidepressant therapy (e.g., tricyclic drugs, electroconvulsive therapy, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and lithium)... 

SSRIs can provoke 5HT neurotoxicity (the 5HT syndrome) through pharmacodynamic interactions with other drugs that also potentiate 5HT function. Often the ability of the interacting drug to facilitate 5HT function is well known, as is the case, for example, when SSRIs are combined with monoamine oxidase inhibitors or lithium. In other cases, however, the potential 5HT activity of the co-administered drug is not widely known. The ability of the antibiotic linezolid to inhibit MAO and thereby to cause 5HT neurotoxicity in combination with SSRIs has been noted previously (SEDA-27, 14), and further cases have now been reported. 

Bonson KR, Murphy DL. Alterations in responses to LSD in humans associated with chronic administration of tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors or lithium. Behav Brain Res 1996 73(l-2) 229-33. 

Adverse interactions of lithium with tricyclic antidepressants, SSRIs, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors have been reviewed (581). In reviews of antidepressants and the serotonin syndrome, a possible contributory role has been suggested for lithium, based on case reports with tricyclic antidepressants, SSRIs, trazodone, and venlafax-ine (204,582). 

The drugs that can cause a serotonin syndrome when they are combined with SSRIs include monoamine oxidase inhibitors (including reversible inhibitors of monoamine oxidase types A and B), dextromethorphan, tryptophan, lithium, pentazocine, and carbamazepine (SEDA-17, 23) (SEDA-18, 22) (64). 

Contents Introduction, history and brain basics—Older antidepressants tricyclics and monoamine oxidase inhibitors—Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors—Second generation antidepressants—Lithium, a medication for bipolar depression—Natural depressants—Teens and antidepressants trends and attitudes—Case study one girl s experience with antidepressants. 

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