No treatment is not an option with depression. If you or someone you know
suffers from depression, it is crucial to find an effective treatment of
depression.
There are highly effective ways of treating depression but this does not
necessarily mean that you must take a drug for depression.
Natural antidepressants, self-help, psychotherapy or a combination of
approaches have all successfully worked at treating depression.
Drug medication treatment reduce the symptoms of depression and are typically
the first line of depression treatment prescribed by the health care
professional. However, all antidepressant medications
have side effects.
Weight gain, sexual side effects, sleep disturbances, agitation and panic
attacks are common side effects associated with treating
depression with drug medication. The serious side effects - suicide, homicide,
liver failure - are more rare but life threatening.
There are different types of prescription antidepressant medications
available;
"Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors" (SSRIs)
are the newer generation of drug medication for depression treatment. SSRIs effect the neurotransmitter serotonin. Commonly prescribed
antidepressants in this family are;
Celexa: (citalopram hydrobromide)
Paxil: (paroxetine hcl)
Prozac: (fluoxetine)
Zoloft: (Sertraline)
Luvox: (fluvoxamine)
Two antidepressants, called "Serotonin Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors" (SNRI),
affect the neurotransmitters serotonin and the neurotransmitters norepinephrine.
Commonly prescribed antidepressants in this family are;
Effexor: (venlafaxine)
Serzone: (nefazodone)
Another new round of depression drug medication are
Heterocyclic Antidepressants. This family of drug medicines for
depression have more of an effect of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and
dopamine than on serotonin. Commonly prescribed
antidepressants in this family are;
Desyrel: (trazodone)
Wellbutrin: (bupropion)
Tricyclic antidepressants (named for their
chemical structure) used to be the most commonly used medications for treatment
of major depressions. Commonly prescribed antidepressants in this family
are;
Anafranil: (clomipramine)
Elavil: (amitriptyline)
Pamelor: (nortriptyline)
Sinequan: (doxepin)
Tofranil: (imipramine)
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) were often
used for "atypical" depressions in which there are symptoms like oversleeping,
anxiety, panic attacks, and phobias. Commonly prescribed antidepressants in this
family are;
Nardil: (phenelzine)
Parnate: (tranylcypromine)
Other Antidepressants include;
Lithium:
Remeron: (mirtazapine)
The newer antidepressants seem to have less side effects than the older
tricyclic antidepressants, but are not without their problems. All people can
benefit from self-help techniques and diet and lifestyle changes, regardless of
whether they choose drug medication or natural antidepressants.
If drug medication treatment is the route chosen, your physician will choose
a particular antidepressant based on depression symptoms. Finding the right drug
medication for treating depression can be difficult. Some people respond better
to one medication than to another and there is no certain way to determine which
medication will be effective. Your doctor may need to prescribe one, then
another, and so on until an effective medicine is found.
Medicine dosage varies on a number of factors including the type of drug, the
person's age, weight and body chemistry. The medicine dosage is generally
started low and gradually increased.
Treatment with drug medication is continued for a minimum of several months
and may last up to a year or more. People with frequent episodes or long-lasting
episodes of depression might choose to remain on maintenance drug medication
treatment.
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