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Tricyclic antidepressants

• tricyclic antidepressants are a class of antidepressant drugs first used in the 1950s. They are named after the drugs molecular structure, which contains three rings of atoms (compare tetracyclic antidepressant). The term 'tricyclic antidepressant is sometimes abbreviated to TCA.

• its mechanism of action is still unclear though it has been shown to work by blocking re-uptake of neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine by nerve cells; an antagonist drug