Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants are both classes of antidepressants. TCAs are considered “first-generation” antidepressants, and SSRIs are considered “second-generation” antidepressants. TCA testing is utilized to discern if an individual has used tricyclic antidepressants. This type of testing is often requested by companies, healthcare providers, and other organizations. Tricyclic antidepressants are not prescribed as often as they used to be, but foods with alcohol in them for some people, they are the right choice. If you have any side effects, don’t stop taking the drug without speaking with your doctor because there may be alternatives or different doses that won’t affect you as much.

How Antidepressants Show Up on a Drug Test

1. Since withdrawal symptoms can also occur if you miss several doses in a row, it’s important to take your medication regularly.
2. Or you may have more, or fewer, side effects from taking a specific antidepressant than someone else does.
3. Sometimes, however, an antidepressant will trigger a false positive on a drug test, showing up on the test as an amphetamine or lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).
4. Other options include requesting a second test or changing to a different medication that is less likely to trigger a false-positive result.

Talk to your provider if any of these situations apply to you before starting an antidepressant. If you’re currently taking a TCA, they may recommend stopping the medication or switching to a different type of antidepressant. You may have slight pain or bruising at the spot where the needle was put in, but most symptoms go away quickly. Some other medicines can interfere with this test, causing a false-positive for TCAs. These include carbamazepine, quetiapine, diphenhydramine, and cyclobenzaprine.

How Long Do TCAs Stay In Urine?

Your provider will also check for other substances that are commonly taken along with a TCA overdose. A tricyclic antidepressant is a type of antidepressant medication that can be used to treat depression and other mental illnesses. Tricyclic antidepressants help regulate the chemicals in the brain which affect mood 2. Cyclic antidepressants boost the levels of serotonin and epinephrine in the brain.

What’s the difference between SSRIs and tricyclic antidepressants?

Ask your healthcare provider what your test results mean for you. These medicines are often the cause of death in prescription-medicine overdoses in the U.S. Furthermore, TCAs can cause QTc prolongation in overdose, and have an increased risk of cognitive impairment (due to their anticholingeric effects). Stay on the phone with the 911 operator while you are waiting for gifts to celebrate sobriety help. It is vital that you ensure the person is still breathing and has an open airway.

Clomipramine (Anafranil®) is another TCA that’s FDA-approved for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in people aged 10 and older. For a TCA urine test, you will need to provide a sample of urine into a sterile cup. Your provider will give more information on how to collect your sample. If it is a urine test, you will need to fill a sterile cup to provide a urine sample for the TCA test. Because TCAs have similar impacts and chemical structures, many can be detected by a single-strip test. To help you stop your TCA safely, your doctor may slowly wean you off the medication.

If you’re not sure how to do that, the operator will explain what steps to take. Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances. For example, amitriptyline, doxepin, imipramine and trimipramine are more likely to cause sedation than nortriptyline and desipramine. If you have symptoms of a TCA overdose or are having suicidal thoughts, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Your blood test results will show the levels of TCA in your bloodstream. Depending on which TCA you are taking and what the levels are, your provider may adjust your dosage.

This can include not driving a car or operating heavy machinery such as construction equipment. Always take your medication as prescribed and store your medications safely away from children and pets. TCA overdoses very rarely happen when you does alcohol bother gallbladder take your medication as prescribed. Healthcare providers sometimes prescribe TCAs to manage chronic pain. Researchers think that TCAs relieve pain by blocking pain signals in your spinal cord and by blocking peripheral pain signals through complex anti-neuroimmune actions. The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice.

Depending on your levels of TCA and which TCA you are taking, your blood test results will show how well the medication is working. Finding an effective dose without being dangerous can be challenging. TCAs cause many prescription drug overdose deaths in the United States 1. Since withdrawal symptoms can also occur if you miss several doses in a row, it’s important to take your medication regularly. If you are having trouble remembering to take your medication, speak with your doctor to see if there are alternatives.