Antidepressant treatment and side effect considerations.

Many antidepressant drugs are available today, including both the first-generation and second-generation antidepressants. While antidepressants are similar in terms of drug efficacy, onset of action, and latency to treatment response, their potential side effect and toxicity profiles are quite different. These factors must be weighed before treatment of depression is begun in an effort to prescribe the compound that is most beneficial, i.e., clinically effective while exhibiting the fewest negative aspects. Determination of patients' "at-risk" profile for drug side effects is best done by a careful analysis of their medical history and concomitant drug therapies. The relative toxicity index for antidepressants should also be reviewed carefully with the goal of avoiding the unwanted sequelae of antidepressant toxicity.