Tricyclic anti depressants are a group of congeners of imipramine, which inhibits noradrenalin and serotonin transporters in the neurons. The effects differ in normal individuals and depressed individuals. These drugs are tested using test cards, the reagent strips of which work based on lateral flow chromatographic immunoassays that respond to cut off concentrations of 1000 ng/ ml. Card drug tricyclics are approved by the FDA and are easy to perform and they interpret the results. The accuracy rate is around 97%.
Various TCA are imipramine, amitriptyline, trimipramine, doxepin, dothiepin, clomipramine, desipramine, nortriptyline, amoxapine and reboxetine. These drugs differ in their selectivity and potency. The oral absorption of these drugs is slow but good. They are bound to tissue and plasma proteins and have widespread distribution. Amitriptyline is metabolized in the liver by demethylation to form nortriptyline which is an active metabolite. This is excreted in urine over a period of 1- 2 weeks. The plasma half life of amitriptyline is 16 to 24 hours and exhibits the therapeutic window phenomenon. The test cards are used to test amitriptyline drug urine which is a one step process.

This drug screen tricyclic anti-depressant is only a preliminary test and analyses urine only on the basis of quality. A more reliable and confirmatory tests are the gas chromatography and mass spectroscopic procedures. It is essential to understand that they do not have the capacity to discriminate between the drugs of medication and abuse. The test is a rapid procedure which involves collection of urine and then testing it with the test card.
The card drug tricyclic testing procedures produce results in 5 minutes. The test cards consist of a control line and a test line. The test card must be dipped into the urine sample only up to the indicated level. The test line fails to appear if the test is positive. In case of negative results, both the lines appear. If the control fails to appear, then the test is invalid irrespective of appearance of the test lines.
The drug SAMHSA tricyclics are a reliable and accurate method for the detection of TCA. It saves a lot of time as well as these are cost effective. This detection would help the health professionals to monitor the patients taking these drugs. These drugs are capable of producing adverse drug effects. Read the instruction manual carefully before performing any tests and also avoid contamination of the urine sample to get accurate results.