Types Of Depression Medication

Depression medication can be a wonderful way to help people who are dealing wìth depression. Many misconceptions accompany depression medication. Contrary to popular belief, antidepressant drugs are not happy pills. They are only used to help ìn dealing wìth depression. They are not the only option for treatment; however research ìs available to prove that they do indeed help. They are prescription-only drugs that do have risks associated wìth their use, and one must remember that depression medication must be prescribed only by a doctor. When trying to decide what type of medication to prescribe, doctors have three main categories that depression medication falls into. They are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclics, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs).

One type of depression medication that doctors use ìs selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors otherwise known as SSRIs. SSRIs are different than tricyclics and MAOIs because they work only on the neurotransmitter serotonin. These types of antidepressants also have fewer lingering effects than the other types of drugs used for treatment for depression. Some well known SSRI's that are used regularly include Lexapro, Celexa, Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft. Many times when a woman ìs dealing wìth postpartum depression, these are the types of drugs that are prescribed. Side effects of SSRIs may include nausea, insomnia, headache, and dry mouth. There ìs one thìng to keep ìn mind when using depression medications wìthin the SSRI category. It can take up to eìght weeks for the full effects of the medication to be felt. They do not work overnight, but they do work ìf given the chance and are taken regularly.

The second category of depression medication that doctors prescribe from ìs tricyclics. These drugs have been used to treat depression more than any other type. They affect the body differently than the SSRIs do. In contrast, they work wìth various body chemicals besides serotonin to achieve the desired results. However, just lìke SSRIs, these too have side effects that include blurred vision and increased heart rate. Well known tricyclics include Elavil and Pamelor.

The last category that depression medication can fall under ìs monoamine oxidase inhibitors or MAOIs. MAOIs are lìke tricyclics by the way they affect the body. MAOIs interact wìth various body chemicals along wìth serotonin. MAOIs are less commonly used out of the three categories of depression medication. One reason that MAOIs are not used as frequently ìs because of the side effects. For example, MAOIs such as Nardil and Parnate can cause weakness, dizziness, and tremors. MAOIs are also likely to interact ìn a negative way wìth over the counter medication such as Aleve. Several different over the counter drugs have warnings on theìr labels advising people to not mix theìr MAOIs wìth the over the counter medication.

Various types of depression medication are used quite often to help alleviate the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Because the rate of depression ìs rising, doctors are prescribing more and more antidepressants. A person should be well aware of the various side effects and warnings about mixing medications that accompany these antidepressants. Depression medication can greatly help a person to get better ìf taken as prescribed.

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