Amoxapine, a member of the dibenzoxazepine drugs which includes loxapine, has recently been introduced/or the treatment of depression. We present five cases of amoxapine failure after an initial good response, which showed severe deterioration with an increase in dosage. The dopamine-blocking effects of amoxapine metabolites are discussed. The mechanism of failure may be related to either the appearance of akinetic depression or a strong neuroleptic effect.
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