Antidepressant Medications

Depression is a treatable disease. It can be treated effectively by using antidepressant medications and psychotherapy. A combination of these two methods can also be tried in patients suffering from depression. Psychotherapy is found to be more effective on patients suffering from mild to moderate depression. Doctors still prefer medication to treat patients suffering from severe depression. Electroconvulsive therapy is the most commonly used treatment mode for treating depression with psychotic symptoms.

A large number of antidepressant medications are now available in the market for a doctor to treat patients of depression. Most of the medicines that are now available in modern medicine are found to be effective in treating depression. The effectiveness of these medicines in treating the problem is totally dependant upon the ability of the doctor to choose the right medicine for the patient. The patient should disclose all the symptoms that he experiences to the doctor to help him to find the one that really works for the patient. Normally, a patient who is given an antidepressant medicine would start experiencing the positive symptoms within three to six weeks. To get the maximum out of the medication, the patient should be ready to co operate with the doctor by consuming the medicine as prescribed by the doctor.

SSRIs are the most commonly prescribed antidepressant medicines by the doctors these days. When compared to other medications, the medicines that come under this category produce minimum side effects. Common side effects of these anti-depressants include sleep disorders, mild head ache, stomach problems and decreased libido. These medicines are to be taken only once in a day by the patient.

SNRIs are the other group of medicines used by the doctors to treat depression patients. They are also found to be very effective and convenient to use for the patients suffering from depression. Side effects of using these medicines include dry mouth, urinary retention and mild constipation. At higher doses it may cause sever blood pressure and patients who use these medicines should be careful about their blood pressure level.

TCAs and MAOIs are the oldest classes of antidepressants used to treat depression patients. When compared to other medicines this group of medicines tend to have more side effects. A patient who takes TCAs and MAOIs should be closely monitored by the doctors to avoid the complications. Sedation, blurred eye vision, urinary hesitancy, constipation, dry mouth, orthostatic hypotension and heart palpitation are the common side effects of these medicines.

Bupropion and Mirtazapine used to treat depression patients are comparatively new in origin. Common side effects of these medicines include anxiety, insomnia, sedation, restlessness and weight gain.