Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors Revisited: What You Should Know

Abstract

Article Abstract Because this piece does not have an abstract, we have provided for your benefit the first 3 sentences of the full text. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) have been dubbed the "secret weapon" of psychopharmacology for the treatment of depression. While pharmacology futurists await the arrival of so-called "triple reuptake inhibitors" as harbingers of the next generation of antidepressants, MAOIs—which simultaneously enhance serotonergic, noradrenergic, and dopaminergic transmission—have been available for decades. Elegant combination therapies for hard-to-treat depression often aim to increase central activity of all 3 monoamines (such as by combining a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor with a putative dopaminergic drug or by pairing a dopamine agonist with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor plus a tricyclic antidepressant ).