Selegiline Transdermal System: In the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder

Excerpt

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors have proven efficacy in the treatment of patients with acute or chronic major depressive disorder (MDD). They are more effective than tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) in patients whose depression is characterised by atypical features (e.g. reverse vegetative symptoms, marked lethargy/anergy, extreme rejection sensitivity) and, additionally, appear useful in individuals with treatment-resistant depression, including those with TCA-resistant depression. MAO inhibitors are not, however, considered first-line drugs because of their potential to cause serious adverse events (e.g. dietary tyramine-induced hypertensive crisis) and because their drug interaction risk is higher than that of other antidepressant medications. …