Sections
Background | Mechanism of Action | Clinical Use | Risks, Side Effects, and Their Management | Overdose | Drug Interactions
Excerpt
Oral MAOIs are not currently used as first-line agents in
the treatment of major depression, largely because newer antidepressants
are generally safer and better tolerated. However, these medications
remain excellent medications for patients who do not respond to
the newer antidepressant drugs. Patients with atypical depression,
characterized by oversleeping and overeating, show a preferential
response to MAOI therapy (Quitkin et al. 1979). Recently,
a patch containing the MAOI selegiline has become available, as
discussed later in this section.