Medication for depression

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)are medications that

increase the amount of the neurochemical serotonin in the brain. People with

depression often have low serotonin levels in the brain, and as their name

implies, the SSRIs work by blocking the reabsorption of serotonin so it stays

around. They are called selective because they mostly impact serotonin and

not other neurochemicals. SSRIs have fewer side effects than many of the

older generation antidepressants, such as the tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs)

and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). Therefore, SSRIs are often the

first-line treatment for depression. Examples of SSRIs include Fluoxetine

(Prozac), Paroxetine (Paxil), Sertraline (Zoloft), Citalopram (Celexa),

Fluvoxamine (Luvox), and Escitalopram (Lexapro).

Dual-action antidepressants (SNRI’s).Some of the newer antidepressant

drugs appear to have particularly robust effects on both the norepinephrine

and serotonin systems and are called “dual-action.” These drugs seem to be

very helpful, especially for the more severe and chronic cases of depression.

Venlafaxine (Effexor), Duloxetine (Cymbalta), and Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq) are

three of these dual-action compounds.

Mirtazapine(Remeron, NaSSA). Although Mirtzazpine is primarily an

antidepressant for major depression, it also has been found beneficial for