Tricyclic antidepressants are an older class of antidepressants, but which work quite well.
The most common tricyclic antidepressants used today are imipramine and amitriptyline, as well as nortriptyline, doxepin and desipramine. This class of antidepressants work very well for the treatment of depression. Rare side effects include liver inflammation, heart attack, stroke, and seizures. Much like the action of other classes of antidepressants , the tricyclic antidepressants work by preventing the uptake of norepinephrine and serotonin. Therefore the concentration of these neurotransmitters build up and improve communication between certain neurons.