ABSTRACT
The monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI) antidepressants were almost abandoned because of the so-called “cheese effect.” With the apparent success of iproniazid as an antidepressant, it was marketed in 1958 as the drug Marsilid. However, it was withdrawn in 1961 after it was found to cause severe liver damage in some individuals. In the case of the MAOIs, it was assumed that the increases in concentrations of monoamine neurotransmitters in the brain were responsible for their antidepressant effects. The tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) were also thought to work by increasing the availability of monoamines in the brain. However, they did so by a different mechanism than the MAOIs. The discovery of the MAOIs and TCAs not only provided some of the first medicinal treatments for depression, but also seemed to provide insight into the nature and cause of the illness. The TCAs act primarily as blockers of those reuptake sites for serotonin and norepinephrine.
