Finding the right antidepressant medication requires a trial and error approach. Currently, there exists no test to accurately measure symptoms. Your loved one’s doctor doesn\u2019t really know what to prescribe them. They select one from a list, prescribe it to and monitor them over 4-12 weeks (this is how long it takes to see benefits and qualify a medication) to see if what they\u2019ve chosen works. If not, they try another medication. This process continues until they find what works.<\/p>\n
There are approximately 22 antidepressant medications on the market that have been approved by the American Federal Drug Association (FDA). They fall under four categories, labeled for the brain chemical they target. (each variety is explained below) \u00a0In order to choose an appropriate medication for your loved one, the doctor may consider these factors:<\/p>\n
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How do anti-depressants work?:<\/strong><\/p>\n The basic premise of an antidepressant is that once you take it the drug passes through your body via your blood and into your brain. \u00a0There, it targets a specific brain chemical (or chemicals) that control your mood.<\/p>\n If you read the word \u201cinhibitor reuptake\u201d what that means is that the drugs stops a process where the chemical does not re-enter the brain cell, which it would normally do. \u00a0That means, less of the chemical remains in the nerve cell.<\/p>\n The brain chemicals that are targeted by these drugs are called: Dopamine, Serotonin, and Norepinephrine<\/p>\n Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs)<\/strong><\/p>\n These medications are safer and generally cause fewer bothersome side effects than other types of antidepressants.<\/p>\n Common SSRIs by drug name include: Prozac, Selfemra, Paxil, Pexeva, Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro<\/p>\n Serotonin and norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitors (SNRIs)<\/strong><\/p>\n Common SNRIs by drug name include: Cymbalta, Effexor XR, Pristiq, Khedezl, Fetzima<\/p>\n Norepinephrine and dopamine re-uptake inhibitors (NDRIs)<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the few antidepressants not frequently associated with sexual side effects.<\/p>\n Common NDRIs by drug name include: Wellbutrin, Aplenzin, Forfivo XL.<\/p>\n Tricyclics<\/strong><\/p>\n Not many doctors prescribe tricyclics these days, though they are still effective for many people. They are often used after other drugs haven\u2019t work. They\u2019ve been replaced because they tend to have more side effects.<\/p>\n Cyclic antidepressants block the absorption (reuptake) of the neurotransmitters serotonin (ser-o-TOE-nin) and norepinephrine (nor-ep-ih-NEF-rin), making more of these chemicals available in the brain. This seems to help brain cells send and receive messages, which in turn boosts mood.<\/p>\n Norpramin,\u00a0Tofranil,\u00a0Pamelor,\u00a0Vivactil,\u00a0Trimipramine, Surmontil<\/p>\n MAOIs\u00a0<\/strong>Using an MAOI requires a strict diet because of dangerous food interactions. Selegiline (Emsam), a newer MAOI that you stick on your skin as a patch, may cause fewer side effects than other MAOIs<\/p>\n Atypical antidepressants<\/strong><\/p>\n Oleptro, Remeron, Brintellix, Viibryd