Due to the social stigma associated with depression, having this problem was not something people wanted to talk about until well into the 1990s. Now depression is becoming increasingly accepted as a problem that many people suffer with a variety of causes and symptoms.
Even with improvements in understanding depression, it is often misdiagnosed or underreported to medical professionals. Sometimes people fear finding out that there is something wrong or worry about what depression medication will do to their brain or body. If depression is a problem for you or someone you know, you should try to understand as much as possible about depression and depression medication.
Depression Medication
There are a number of depression medications available and their effectiveness depends largely on the type of depression being treated and the inclusion of therapy with a mental health practitioner. Most types of depression medicine take anywhere from one to three months to show good results so it is important that the whole person be treated rather than just a reliance on the depression medications to make changes. Depression medicines may have to be changed and dosages may need to be altered to be person-specific so they should never be shared.
How Depression Medication Works
Different types of depression medication work to affect a chemical change in your brain. Each type of depression medication has a specific region of the brain that it works on and way that it changes brain function. Sometimes one depression medication will work well alone, but in many cases people have to use a combination of drugs to strike the right balance.
Even though you are being treated for depression, you can be given an anti-anxiety drug and a mood stabilizer along with your antidepressant to get the best results. As long as you take the medications as prescribed you will see results within a few months and be able to live life normally again. Eventually, the doctor will be able to decrease the medication as your body learns to control the functions and strikes the proper internal balance on its own. Medications do not cure depression, they help your body fight the symptoms so you can learn how to live without being depressed.
Types of Depression Medication
There are a few major types of depression medication with a laundry list of brand name and generic drugs that treat the symptoms and help relieve depression. They are:
SSRIs (Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitors) – Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft
Tricyclic and Tetracyclic Antidepressants – Ludiomil, Elavil and Pamelor
Atypical Antidepressants – Wellbutrin, Remeron and Effexor
MAOIs (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors) – Parnate, Marplan and Nardil
Thinking About Depression Medications
When you and your mental healthcare professional decide that depression medication is right for you, there are a number of factors that need to be considered before choosing the right types of depression medications for you. You should review:
The cause of your depression and whether you will take medication for long or short term
How your job, family and medical issues would be affected by medication
Side effects of depression medication
Dosage amounts considering your age, weight and necessity
A way to monitor the progress of the treatment
Treatment you will need in conjunction with the medication, such as time with a therapist
How long you will need to take the medication
Your mental health history as well as physical health history
Side Effects
It may be two or three months before you see any result with depression medications and it can take just as long for your body to adjust to the side effects of the drugs. Most side effects are temporary and mild, but others may continue and require additional medication to be relived. Side effects can include:
