 Key features of depression and its management in general practice. |
| "..Everything
is ok in that department.." |
| In considering alternate treatments, which of the following statements are true of antidepressants treatment and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in this context? |
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1. Tricyclic antidepressants cause orthostatic hypotension. |
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2.
Tricyclic antidepressants are recommended for people with ischaemic
heart disease.
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3. The adverse effects of SSRIs usually settle within the first one or two weeks of treatment. |
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4.
If adverse effects are persistent, it is best to switch to another
class of antidepressants.
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5.
Patients with cardiac disease are at increased risk of cardiovascular
complications during ECT.
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3. The adverse effects of SSRIs usually settle within the first one or two weeks of treatment.
Author's answer: True
Many adverse effects of the antidepressants (e.g. nausea with SSRIs or sedation with TCAs) settle within the first one or two weeks of treatment.