Types Of Antidepressant Medications
There are several classes of antidepressants within each class there are many individual medications. While all antidepressants work well overall, no drug or type of drug works equally well for everyone who takes it. You may be advised to try more than one type of antidepressant or to use a combination of antidepressants to seek relief from your distress.
The different types of antidepressants are listed in the order in which they are most commonly prescribed. Medications are referred to in two ways: by their generic name and by their brand or trade names. Brand names available in Canada appear in brackets.
SSRIs
This group of drugs, including fluoxetine , paroxetine , fluvoxamine , citalopram , escitalopram and sertraline , is usually the first choice for treatment of depression and anxiety disorders. These medications are known to have milder side-effects than some other antidepressants. Buspirone is similar to SSRIs and has been found to help with anxiety but not depression.
Common side-effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weight gain, dry mouth, headaches, anxiety, sedation and a decrease in sexual desire and response. This group of drugs may also cause a jittery or restless feeling and sleep difficulties, such as problems falling asleep, waking in the night, vivid dreams or nightmares.
SNRIs
NDRIs
Common side-effects are jitteriness and insomnia.
NaSSAs
Common side-effects are drowsiness and weight gain.
Nonselective cyclics
MAOIs
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Tms Therapy For Depression
If youre suffering from major depression that has been resistant to therapy, medication, and self-help, then TMS therapy may be an option. Transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy is a noninvasive treatment that directs recurring magnetic energy pulses at the regions of the brain that are involved in mood. These magnetic pulses pass painlessly through the skull and stimulate brain cells which can improve communication between different parts of the brain and ease depression symptoms.
While TMS may be able to improve treatment-resistant depression, that doesnt mean its a cure for depression or that your symptoms wont return. However, it could provide sufficient improvements in your energy and drive to enable you to begin talk therapy or make the lifestyle changessuch as improving your diet, exercising, and building your support networkthat can help preserve your depression recovery in the long term.
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Can Birth Control Help Treat Depression
Depression does not have a single cause, but rather a combination of genetic, biochemical, and environmental factors. Thankfully, there are several treatment options available, and it may take a combination of techniques to help the depressed individual feel better. For women, in particular, their birth control may play a role in their mental health status. In some cases, it may help alleviate symptoms, but in others, it may exacerbate them. The following article will delve into the relationship between birth control and depression.
Finding The Best Option
There are many types of antidepressants. They all work differently and have different benefits, risks, and side effects.
A person should speak with a doctor about their individual circumstances. The doctor will help them find the best treatment option for them.
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If You Have An Inner Critic End Your Depression And The Critic May Go Quiet
Posted October 17, 2011
What people refer to as the blues is usually depression. Depression, or the blues, is an unpleasant emotional state characterized by what therapists refer to as “the negative cognitive triad.” That’s 1) negative thoughts about oneself, which are the voices of your inner critic harping on you for what you supposedly have done wrong, should have done differently, and on and on 2) negative thoughts about others that lead you to see what you don’t like in them instead of heeding their virtues and enjoying them, creating relationship problems and 3) negative thoughts about the future.
Some people describe the blues, and also depression, as feeling like there’s a dark cloud over you. Others refer to depression as seeing the world through dark glasses. Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness are another indicator.
How can you get rid of your blues and your inner critic by treating the underlying depression?
There’s four main strategies:
1. Change your feelings. Take pills or use one of the newer treatment methods that change your bluesy mood by changing your inner body chemistry and brain functioning.
2. Change your thoughts. Eliminating the inner critic may get rid of the depressed, bluesy feelings.
3. Change you actions. Get exercise. Go out and be with people. Express more gratitude. Do acts of kindness.
Why do people take antidepressant medications?
Here’s six vital points to consider.
Doses And Duration Of Treatment
Antidepressants are usually taken in tablet form. When they’re prescribed, you’ll start on the lowest possible dose thought necessary to improve your symptoms.
Antidepressants usually need to be taken for 1 or 2 weeks before the benefit starts to be felt. It’s important not to stop taking them if you get some mild side effects early on, as these effects usually wear off quickly.
If you take an antidepressant for 4 weeks without feeling any benefit, speak to your GP or mental health specialist. They may recommend increasing your dose or trying a different medicine.
A course of treatment usually lasts for at least 6 months after you start to feel better. Some people with recurrent depression may be advised to take them indefinitely.
Read more about antidepressant dosages.
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Vitamins And Supplements For Depression
The jury is still out on how well herbal remedies, vitamins, or supplements work in treating depression. While many supplements are widely available over the counter, in many cases their efficacy has not been scientifically proven. If your depression symptoms are in part due to nutritional deficiency, you may benefit from vitamin supplements, but this should be on the advice of your healthcare professional.
If you decide to try natural and herbal supplements, remember that they can have side effects and drug or food interactions. For example, St. Johns Worta promising herb used for treatment of mild to moderate depressioncan interfere with prescription drugs such as blood thinners, birth control pills, and prescription antidepressants. Make sure your doctor or therapist knows what you are taking.
Fish Oil Supplements May Help Fight Depression
HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, June 18, 2021 — Fish oil supplements are often touted as good for your heart health, but a new study finds they may also help fight depression.
“Using a combination of laboratory and patient research, our study has provided exciting new insight into how omega-3 fatty acids bring about anti-inflammatory effects that improve depression,” said lead author Alessandra Borsini, a postdoctoral neuroscientist at King’s College London.
Borsini said it’s been known that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have anti-depressant and anti-inflammatory effects, but exactly how that happens has been unclear.
“Our study has helped shine a light on the molecular mechanisms involved in this relationship, which can inform the development of potential new treatments for depression using omega-3 PUFA,” Borsini said in a university news release.
Previous studies have shown that people with major depression have elevated levels of inflammation, but no proven anti-inflammatory treatments for depression exist.
The patient portion of this new study included 22 people with major depression.
Once a day for 12 weeks, they were given one of two omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids â either 3 grams of eicosapentaenoic acid or 1.4 grams of docosahexaenoic acid .
EPA and DHA are omega-3 PUFAs found in oily fish.
The findings were published June 16 in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
More information
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Depression And Your Children
Like adults, children and teens can also feel depressed. You should watch your children for signs of depression. Talk to your children if you notice changes in their behavior. Talk to your childs healthcare provider if you are still concerned.
Prozac is the only medicine that is approved by FDA for use in children with depression. Prozac and Lexapro are the only FDA-approved medicines for teens with depression. Talk to your healthcare provider about important warnings for children and teens who take medicine for depression.
Ketaminefrom Anesthetic To Depression Miracle Drug
Interestingly, studies from Yale research labs showed that the drug ketamine, which was widely used as anesthesia during surgeries, triggers glutamate production, which, in a complex, cascading series of events, prompts the brain to form new neural connections. This makes the brain more adaptable and able to create new pathways, and gives patients the opportunity to develop more positive thoughts and behaviors. This was an effect that had not been seen before, even with traditional antidepressants.
I think the interesting and exciting part of this discovery is that it came largely out of basic neuroscience research, instead of by chance, says Gerard Sanacora, MD, PhD, a psychiatrist at Yale Medicine who was also involved in many of the ketamine studies. It wasnt just, Lets try this drug and see what happens. There was increasing evidence suggesting that there was some abnormality within the glutamatergic system in the brains of people suffering from depression, and this prompted the idea of using a drug that targets this system.
This is why Dr. Sanacora believes that ketamine may be most effective when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy , a type of psychotherapy that helps patients learn more productive attitudes and behaviors. Ongoing research, including clinical trials, addressing this idea are currently underway at Yale.
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How Soon Will They Start Working
Everybodys experience of medication is different. Most antidepressants take one to two weeks to start working. But you might feel some benefits sooner than this, such as improved sleep.
Speak to your doctor if you dont feel any benefit after taking an antidepressant regularly for two to four weeks, or if you feel worse. Its possible that a different antidepressant might suit you better.
“I was a total mess before I started my antidepressants. After a struggle through the first two weeks, I began to see the light at the end of what had been a very long tunnel.”
Do I Need This Treatment
If you are distressed for more than two weeks by feelings of sadness, despair and hopelessness, or by excessive worry that is hard to control, see a doctor for an assessment of your symptoms and situation and to discuss treatment and support options. Early treatment can help to ensure treatment success.
Be sure your doctor knows if you have had times where you felt a reduced need for sleep in combination with an unusual amount of energy, or where your mood changed from feeling depressed to feeling unusually happy or irritable. Mood stabilizer medications may be more suited to your needs, either on their own or in combination with antidepressants. Antidepressants alone can cause some people to switch from depression into mania.
Medications are only one way of treating depression and anxiety. Talk therapies, such as interpersonal psychotherapy and cognitive-behavioural therapy, can be just as effective. Peer support, school and job counselling, and housing and employment supports can also help to deal with problems that may trigger or worsen depression or anxiety.
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Side Effects Of Antidepressants
Antidepressants can cause side effects at first, but these usually improve with time.
If you experience minor side effects, it’s important to continue treatment. This is because it can take several weeks before you begin to benefit from treatment. With time, you should find that the benefits of treatment outweigh any side effects.
During the first few months of treatment, you’ll usually see your doctor or a specialist nurse every 2 to 4 weeks. This will let them see how well the medication is working.
If you experience any severe side effects, you should let your specialist know.
For more information about your specific medication, see the patient information leaflet. This will be in the box with your medication.
Common side effects of SSRIs and SNRIs can include:
- feeling agitated, shaky or anxious
- feeling and being sick
If You Experience Depression
If you experience depression, you may:
- feel very down a lot of the time
- no longer enjoy the things you usually enjoy
- find it hard to talk to people about how you feel
- find it hard to look after yourself and carry out day-to-day tasks
- self-harm or experience suicidal feelings, especially if you have severe depression.
Taking antidepressants may help to lift your mood. This can help you feel more able to do things that dont feel possible while youre depressed. This may include using other types of support for your mental health. See our page on treatments for depression to find other options which may help.
If you feel unable to keep yourself safe, it’s a mental health emergency.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence produces guidelines on best practice in healthcare. This includes guidelines for prescribing antidepressants for people with different levels of depression. These guidelines suggest the following:
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How Can Birth Control Help With Pmdd Symptoms
While birth control is typically perceived as only being used for pregnancy prevention, it has numerous health benefits, such as alleviating symptoms of PMS and PMDD. Those that contain a combination of hormones estrogen and progestin are typically recommended for individuals with PMDD.
More specifically, birth control pills that contain ethinyl estradiol and drospirenone are the most helpful for alleviating symptoms in PMDD sufferers. Popular brands that contain this unique combination of hormones include Yaz, Ocella, and Beyaz. However, only Yaz is FDA-approved for treating PMDD, as it has been found to increase the quality of life and day-to-day functioning in individuals who typically suffer from the disorder. Other birth control options that can help treat PMDD include the following:
- Combination pills that contain both Ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel taken continuously
- Contraceptive patches and rings
How Well Can Antidepressants Prevent Relapses
Antidepressants are usually taken for one to two years, and sometimes longer, to prevent relapses. Relapse prevention may be a good idea for people who
- have already had several relapses,
- absolutely want to avoid a relapse, or
Studies involving adults have shown that taking commonly used antidepressants such as TCAs, SSRIs or SNRIs can lower the risk of relapses, but can’t completely prevent them:
- Without preventive treatment: About 50 out of 100 people who took a placebo had a relapse within one to two years.
- With preventive treatment: About 23 out of 100 people who took an antidepressant had a relapse within one to two years.
In other words, taking an antidepressant over a long period of time successfully prevented a relapse in an average of 27 out of 100 people.
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How Many People Take Antidepressants
Overall, antidepressant use increased from 10.6 percent to nearly 14 percent in the decade between 2009 to 2010 and 2017 to 2018.
Women with depression are nearly twice as likely as men to be taking these medications, the NCHS found, with 17.7 percent of women using antidepressants compared with 8.4 percent of men. During the same decade, antidepressant use increased among women but not men.
Psychotherapy For Depression Treatment
If there is no underlying medical cause for your symptoms of depression, talk therapy can be an extremely effective treatment. What you learn in therapy gives you skills and insight to feel better and help prevent depression from coming back.
There are many types of therapy available. Three of the more common methods used in depression treatment include cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, and psychodynamic therapy. Often, a blended approach is used.
Some types of therapy teach you practical techniques on how to reframe negative thinking and employ behavioral skills in combating depression. Therapy can also help you work through the root of your depression, helping you understand why you feel a certain way, what your triggers are for depression, and what you can do to stay healthy.
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Hormonal Birth Control And Depression
Contraceptives that use hormones to keep you from getting pregnant come in many forms. They include the pill, the mini pill, implant, shot, intrauterine device , patch, and vaginal ring.
Researchers donât have enough evidence to say for sure if hormonal birth control causes depression. But most of the information available suggests that the answer is likely a no. Still, researchers canât rule out that there may be a link between those contraceptives and depression.
Part of the uncertainty stems from the fact that every woman reacts differently to hormones. Another reason is that studies have turned up conflicting findings.
For example, some research says that women get extra benefits from hormonal birth control, such as fewer depressive symptoms or lessened emotional symptoms from premenstrual dysphoric disorder .
But other studies have found a link between women, especially adolescents, who used hormonal birth control and their rates of depression and antidepressant use. Sixteen-year-olds in one study who took birth control pills cried more and had trouble sleeping.
Researchers think that hormonal contraceptives may have a bigger effect if a woman already has a mood disorder. But more studies are needed.