RESUMO
1 Caroxazone is a new antidepressant drug with reversible MAO-inhibitory activity. 2 The pressor effect of intravenously injected tyramine has been evaluated in six male healthy volunteers before, during oral treatment with caroxazone 200 mg three times daily and at different time intervals after discontinuation of treatment. 3 Caroxazone produces a moderate tyramine supersensitivity. 4 The reversibility of MAO-inhibition produced by caroxazone is clearly reflected by the time-course of tyramine supersensitivity. In fact, tyramine potentiation does not accumulate with caroxazone cumulative dose, while it is correlated to drug plasma levels and disappears rapidly (half-life 1.5 days) upon discontinuation of treatment. 5 caroxazone seems to be safer and more manageable than all other clinically available MAO-inhibitors which produce irreversible inactivation of MAO.
