Depression Treatment

Antidepressants

Antidepressants can be very helpful for people suffering from depression. Antidepressants relieve the symptoms of depression, which makes it easier to face your problems and take appropriate action. Like all medications, it is important to take them exactly as prescribed by health professionals. Medications will likely involve some form of antidepressant drug. The most commonly used types are: tricyclic, Monoamine oxidase inhibitors or MAOI’s, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRI’s.

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) are used to relieve certain types of mental depression, such as sadness and irritability. MAOIs are a class of antidepressant drugs prescribed for the treatment of depression. They work by blocking the action of a chemical substance known as monoamine oxidase (MAO, which breaks down neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepinephrine) in the nervous system. MAOI’s are as effective as tricyclics, if not slightly more effective. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors are particularly effective in treating atypical depression, and have also shown efficacy in helping smokers to quit. A new MAOI has recently been introduced. Moclobemide (Manerix), known as a reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase A (RIMA), follows a very specific chemical pathway and does not require a special diet.

Tricyclic antidepressants block the reuptake of certain neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine and serotonin. Tricyclic antidepressants are effective in treating depression, but they are used less commonly now because of their side effects, which include increased heart rate, drowsiness, dry mouth, constipation, urinary retention, blurred vision, dizziness, confusion, and sexual dysfunction. The tricyclicis have many side effects, including weight gain and drowsiness.

Most known Tricyclic antidepressants are: Amitriptyline (Elavil), Clomipramine (Anafranil), Desipramine (Norpramin or Pertofrane), Doxepin (Sinequan or Adapin), Imipramine (Tofranil), Maprotiline (Ludiomil), Nortriptyline (Pamelor or Aventyl), Protriptyline (Vivactil), Trimipramine (Surmontil).

Trazodone (Deseryl) is an older antidepressant which is prescribed for the treatment of depression. Trazodone is safer than many tricyclics and excellent for sleep or agitation. It must be used in low doses to avoid side effects such as dizziness, low blood pressure, and the risk of falls.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a family of newer antidepressant considered to be the current standard of drug treatment. These SSRIs include fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), paraxetine (Paxil), fluvoxamine (Luvox), and citalopram (Celexa). The word “selective” is used because SSRIs target serotonin rather than other transmitters.