title: The problem of tricyclic antidepressant poisoning.
abstract: In the year May 1976 to April 1977, 489 enquiries about the management of tricyclic antidepressant poisoning received at the London Centre of the National Poisons Information Service were followed-up. One hundred and sixty-four patients (33.5%) were unconscious, convulsions occurred in 62 (12.7%), hypotension in 31 (6.3%), respiratory depression in 28 (5.7%), tachydysrhythmias in 17 (3.5%) and cardiac arrest in 12 patients (2.5%). Sixteen patients died (3.3%). No statistically significant differences were found between individual antidepressants although poisoning with amitriptyline-like drugs resulted in a significantly higher proportion of unconscious patients than poisoning with imipramine-like drugs (P less than 0.01). There were more asymptomatic children than adults and more unconscious adults than children. Tricyclic antidepressant poisoning is a major clinical problem in general medical and paediatric practice.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000639:Amitriptyline / Q000506:poisoning; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000506:poisoning*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003128:Coma / Q000139:chemically induced; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced
chemical_list: D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D000639:Amitriptyline