Antidepressants are a type of medicine that is used to treat severe sadness.
They can also be used to help a number of other diseases, such as:
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of widespread anxiety disease.
People with long-term (chronic) pain are also sometimes given antidepressants to help them feel better.
How Antidepressants Work
No one really knows how drugs work.
Neurotransmitters are chemicals in the brain that are thought to work by making more of them. Serotonin and noradrenaline are two examples of chemicals that are linked to mood and feeling.
Neurotransmitters may also change the way nerves send pain messages, which may explain why some drugs can help reduce long-term pain.
Antidepressants can help with the signs of sadness, but they don’t always help with what’s causing it. This is why they are generally used along with treatment to treat depression or other mental health problems that are more serious.
How Effective Are Antidepressants?
Antidepressants may help people with mild or serious depression, according to research.
They aren’t generally suggested for light sadness unless other methods like talking therapy haven’t helped.
Doses And Duration Of Treatment
Most antidepressants come in the form of tablets. When you are given them, you will start with the smallest amount thought to help your symptoms.
Before antidepressants start to work, most people have to take them for 1 or 2 weeks without missing a dose. It’s important to keep taking them even if you have a few slight side effects at first, because these effects normally go away quickly.
If you take a drug for 4 weeks and don’t feel better, talk to your doctor or someone who specializes in mental health. They might tell you to take a higher amount or try a different medicine.
After you start to feel better, most treatments continue for at least 6 months. Some people who have sadness that keeps coming back may be told to take them forever.
Side Effects
There are many different side effects that can happen when you take drugs. Check the information sheet that comes with your medicine to find out what side effects you might experience.
Most of the time, drugs have mild side effects. As the body gets used to the medicine, side effects should get better after a few days or weeks.
Coming Off Antidepressants
Before you stop taking drugs, talk to your doctor. You should not stop taking drugs all of a sudden.
When you’re ready to stop taking antidepressants, your doctor will probably tell you to slowly lower your amount over a few weeks or longer if you’ve been taking them for a long time.
This is to help keep you from having withdrawal signs when you stop taking the medicine.
Types Of Antidepressants
Antidepressants come in many different forms.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
These are the most common types of antidepressants that doctors recommend. Most of the time, they are better than other antidepressants because they have less side effects. It is also less possible that an overdose will be dangerous.
Fluoxetine, which is sold under the brand name Prozac, is likely the most well-known SSRI. Citalopram (Cipramil), escitalopram (Cipralex), paroxetine (Seroxat), and sertraline (Lustral) are some other SSRIs.
Serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
SNRIs are like SSRIs in many ways. They were made to work better than SSRIs as an antidepressant. But there isn’t much proof that SNRIs are better at treating sadness. It seems that SSRIs work better for some people and SNRIs work better for others.
Duloxetine (Cymbalta and Yentreve) and venlafaxine (Effexor) are two examples of SNRIs.
Noradrenaline and specific serotonergic antidepressants (NASSAs)
Some people who can’t take SSRIs may find that NASSAs work for them. NASSAs have similar side effects to SSRIs, but they are thought to cause less sexual problems. But they may also make you feel sleepier at first.
In the UK, mirtazapine (Zispin) is most often used to treat NASSA.
Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs)
TCAs are an older kind of antidepressant. Most doctors no longer suggest them as the first treatment for sadness because an overdose can be more dangerous. They also make people feel worse than SSRIs and SNRIs.
People with serious sadness who don’t get better with other treatments can sometimes get a pass. TCAs may also be given to people with OCD and bipolar disorder, among other mental health problems.
Amitriptyline, clomipramine, dosulepin, imipramine, lofepramine, and nortriptyline are all types of TCAs.
Some TCAs, like amitriptyline, can also be used to treat nerve pain that doesn’t go away.
Serotonin antagonists and reuptake inhibitors (SARIs)
SARIs are not usually the first choice of antidepressants, but they may be given if other antidepressants have not worked or have caused side effects.
In the UK, trazodone (Molipaxin) is the most common SARI drug given to people.
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
MAOIs are a type of drug that has been around for a long time but is rarely used today.
They can have side effects that could be dangerous, so only an expert doctor should give them to you.
Tranylcypromine, phenelzine, and isocarboxazid are all examples of MAOIs.
Other Treatments For Depression
Talking methods like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) are also used to help with sadness.
Most of the time, drugs and CBT are used together to help people with mild to serious depression. CBT takes time to figure out what causes sadness and how to get rid of it. Antidepressants work quickly to relieve symptoms.
People with mild depression have also been shown to benefit from regular exercise.