A 56-year-old man comes to the office for follow up. He has a history of severe depression seeks. His depression has been treated with phenelzine since diagnosis, he reports that he cannot tolerate the side effect of the drug and asks to switch it to a new medication. A sertraline is prescribed. The physician told the patient to stop taking phenelzine at least 2 weeks before starting the new drug . Which of the following processes occurs during this washout interval to allow sertraline therapy to be initiated safely?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Coadministration of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors can produce excessive synaptic serotonin levels secondary to decreased reuptake and decreased degradation of serotonin, potentially causing serotonin syndrome.  To avoid this risk, a 2-week washout period after discontinuing an MAO inhibitor and before initiating SSRI therapy is required to allow sufficient time for MAO regeneration.

A 56-Year-Old Man Comes to the Office for Follow Up