Overcome Depression Blog

Depression hurts, both physically and mentally. It is a medical condition that causes a lack of energy and loss of pleasure with normal activities, feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, feelings of guilt, shame, and worthlessness, disturbances in sleep and appetite, and a pervasive feeling of tiredness. Depression is very common, mostly in women of all ages, but also among men in their later years. The drugs for depression can cause this illness to go into complete, sustained remission, returning the sufferer to his or her normal, emotionally healthy state. Since the drugs for depression work so very well, there is no reason for anyone to live with depression.

Drugs for depression make it possible for people who suffer from depression to go into remission. Find out about the different drugs available for depression and how they work.

How Do the Drugs for Depression Work?

Weighing In On Performance-enhancing Drugs (Cleveland Jewish News)
Six years ago, â??Linda,â?? a parent of a Beachwood High School varsity football player, discovered a large jar of creatine in her sonâ??s room. â??I was horrified because creatine,…

Clinical depression is a medical and mental health condition that occurs when the chemicals in the brain, called neurotransmitters, are out of balance. How and why this imbalance develops is still somewhat of a mystery. Heredity may be a factor, as could a devastating life event. The drugs for depression work by restoring the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain.

One neurotransmitter in particular, serotonin, plays a major part in the development of depression. Serotonin governs mood, sleep, feelings of pleasure or happiness, and appetite. When serotonin levels are too low for whatever reason, depression can be the result. The drugs for depression target serotonin, and also norepinephrine, another neurotransmitter. The most effective drugs for depression are Serotonin Selective Reuptake Inhibitors, or SSRIs. Drugs like Effexor, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, Prozac and other SSRIs prevent serotonin from being re-absorbed by the brain tissue. Thus, there is more bioavailability of serotonin in the body; simply, this means that the drugs for depression prevent serotonin’s re-absorption and increases its availability in the body.

Before the SSRIs were developed for depression, the condition was treated by other anti-depressants called “tri-cyclics.” These drugs for depression also targeted neurotransmitters in the brain, but they work in an entirely different manner than the SSRIs. These drugs, like Elavil and Pamelor, have some unpleasant side effects like dry mouth and other mucous membranes, weight gain, and sedation. Today, physicians regard the SSRIs as the treatment of choice for depression, but it is not uncommon for a patient to take an SSRI plus a tri-cyclic at bedtime to help with the sleeplessness caused by depression.

It is essential that a physician, usually a psychiatrist, evaluate all the symptoms of depression the patient is experiencing. For example, depression can cause either insomnia or hypo-somnia; not sleeping enough vs. sleeping way too much. A prescription sleep medication like Ambien or Lunesta may be needed for a limited period of time. In cases of hyposomnia, a mild stimulant may be prescribed.

If the patient’s depression has a distinct anxiety component, another drug for depression to treat this condition is helpful, such as Valium, Xanax, or Klonopin. These drugs have the potential for abuse and addiction and must be taken only as prescribed.

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