Main Types of
Depression Medications
Depression is treated by a combination of various techniques
and medications including antidepressant drugs, electroshock
therapy (ECT), diet therapy, and exercise and relaxation
techniques. Depression medications or antidepressants are still
the most widely used form of treatment for depression because
they provide quick relief from symptoms of depression.
Depression medications can be divided into three main types:
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors, Tricyclic Antidepressants, and
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. More recently,
Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors have also been
included into the clinically prescribed categories of
antidepressants.
Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs)
Some of the earliest depression medications, which are still
widely used for treating depressive disorders, are the
Tricyclic Antidepressants, or TCAs. These drugs act by making
the anti-depressant neurotransmitters (serotonin and
norepinephrine) stay longer in the brain by preventing them
from reabsorbing into nerve cells.
Lately, TCAs have come under serious criticism by health
professionals due to the many side effects of these drugs. A
serious adverse effect of TCAs has been the increased suicidal
tendency in their users. Hence, these are not the first choice
of psychiatrists today to prescribe for patients of
depression.
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs)
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors, or MAOIs, relieve depressive
symptoms by blocking the activity of monoamine oxidase, an
enzyme-cum-neurotransmitter that burns up monoamines
(serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine), which results in the
depletion of these natural antidepressant chemicals.
By preventing monoamine oxidase from destroying these
neurotransmitters, MAOIs allow a greater supply of monoamines
to the brain, providing relief from depression. The main
problem with MAOIs is that they also raise the blood pressure
of the patient, posing the risk of bursting blood vessels in
the brain. Also, people taking MAOIs are expected to practice
restraint in case of diets like cheese, cream, liver, some
forms of meat, and sausages etc.
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, or SSRIs, came in use
as depression medications in the late 1980s. These
antidepressants work by blocking specific sites (receptors) on
nerve cells that reabsorb (reuptake) the neurotransmitter
serotonin-the low supply of which induces depressive
symptoms.
By blocking these receptors selectively, SSRIs cause a longer
availability of serotonin in the brain, relieving depression.
While these are considered safer than other types of
antidepressants like MAOIs and TCAs, SSRIs have their own side
effects like nausea, headache, digestive problems, sleep
disturbances, and nervousness etc.
Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors
(SNRIs)
Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors, or SNRIs, are
a newer type of depression medications. They are very similar
to SSRIs except that they also prevent the reuptake of
norepinephrine in addition to that of serotonin. The side
effects of SNRIs are also similar to SSRIs, though users of
SNRIs may also experience tremors, gas, blurred or double
vision and any other unusual effects.
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