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Information about Drugs for Treatment of Depression.

INFORMATION ABOUT ANTI-DEPRESSANTS

SSRI's ( Selective Seretonin Re-uptake Inhibitors )

Selective Seretonin Re-uptake Inhibitors are a class of antidepressants used to treat mood disorders, anxiety disorders and some personality disorders.They help the brain utilize a chemical called serotonin more effectively within the brain. A low level of utilization of serotonin is currently seen as one among several neurochemical symptoms of depression. Low levels of serotonin in turn can be caused by an anxiety disorder, because serotonin is needed to metabolize stress hormones. These drugs are similar TCA's but focus only on the seretonin reuptake (ie. they are selective), as opposed to the TCA's that can affect a number of chemicals in the brain and therefore can have a wider range of side-effects. Hence, SSRI's are seen as safer than TCA's.

TCA's ( Tricyclic Antidepressants )

For many years they were the first choice for pharmacological treatment of depression. Although still considered effective, they have been increasingly replaced by SSRI's and other newer drugs. These newer antidepressants are thought to have fewer side effects and are also thought to be less effective if used in a suicide attempt, as the treatment and lethal doses (see therapeutic index) are farther apart than with the tricyclic antidepressants. Tricyclic antidepressants are sometimes still used to treat refractory depression that has failed to respond to standard SSRI therapy. They are not considered addictive and are preferable to the MAOI's. Side effects usually occur before depression is effectively suppressed; for this reason they can be dangerous, as volition is increased, giving the patient greater ability to attempt suicide.

MAOI's

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI's) are a class of antidepressant drugs prescribed for the treatment of depression. Due to potentially serious dietary and drug interactions they are used less frequently than other classes of antidepressant drugs such as TCA's and SSRI's. However, they are used in some cases where patients are unresponsive to other treatments they have tried. They are particularly effective in treating atypical depression

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