Family Nurse Practitioner Exam

Disable ads (and more) with a membership for a one time $2.99 payment

Study for the Family Nurse Practitioner Exam. Discover comprehensive flashcards and multiple-choice questions with thorough hints and explanations. Prepare confidently for your certification!

Start Multiple Choice Practice Test
Start Flash Cards

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.

Which of the following is NOT classified as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)?

  1. Imipramine (Elavil)

  2. Fluoxetine (Prozac)

  3. Sertraline (Zoloft)

  4. Paroxetine (Paxil CR)

The correct answer is: Imipramine (Elavil)

Imipramine (Elavil) is the correct answer because it belongs to a different class of antidepressants known as tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). TCAs are older medications that work by inhibiting the reuptake of both serotonin and norepinephrine, but they do not specifically target serotonin as selectively as SSRIs do. This makes them distinct in their mechanism of action when compared to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which primarily focus on increasing serotonin levels in the brain. Fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), and paroxetine (Paxil CR) are all classified as SSRIs. These medications specifically inhibit the reuptake of serotonin, which increases its availability in the synaptic cleft and is aimed at alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety with a generally favorable side effect profile. Therefore, identifying imipramine as not belonging to the SSRI category is accurate given its classification and mechanism of action.

More Questions Like This