New antidepressant drugs and the treatment of depression in the medically ill patient.

The advent of the SSRIs, venlafaxine, bupropion, and nefazodone, has greatly expanded pharmacologic treatment options for the depressed medically ill patient. Although the relatively benign side effects of these medications on cardiac conduction and blood pressure allow for more liberal use in the medically ill, these drugs nevertheless have different capacities for adverse drug interactions that must be considered. Nevertheless, such interactions can usually be avoided or managed by knowledgeable clinicians cognizant of the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic principles outlined in this article.