SSRI

abbreviation for

, Pharmacology.

1. selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor: a class of drugs that prolong the action of serotonin in the brain by inhibiting its reabsorption by neurons, used mainly to treat depression. Compare SNRI ( def ).

SSRI

abbreviation for

1. selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor; any of a class of drugs, including fluvoxamine, paroxetine, fluoxetine (Prozac), and Lustral, that increase concentrations of serotonin in the brain: used in the treatment of depression

SSRI

/ ĕs′ĕs-är-ī′ /

1. Short for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Any of a class of drugs that inhibit the uptake of serotonin in the central nervous system and are used to treat depression and other psychiatric disorders.

Word History and Origins

Origin of SSRI¹

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

If depression were caused by a deficit of serotonin, you’d feel better in a day or so after taking an SSRI.

From Washington Post

But until now, no randomized controlled trials had directly compared psilocybin with an SSRI.

From Scientific American

In the late 1980s, the pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly introduced the antidepressant Prozac, a so-called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, or SSRI, which supposedly elevates mood by altering levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin.

From Scientific American

“After a few days, you get this sensitization of 5-HT1A, like you would with an SSRI, and increased serotonin signalling,” she says.

From Nature

And some of the risks attributed to the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRI, are similar to those found in children exposed to their mother’s psychiatric illness.

From Wall Street Journal