How do antidepressants work?

With a verified, confirmed diagnosis of a depressive disorder or a depressive syndrome accompanying another somatic disease, antidepressants are often prescribed. Today, these are the No. 1 drugs in the treatment of depressive disorder.

There are a lot of antidepressants, and a large number of groups. There are some that have come to us still used since the 50s, this is a group of tricyclic antidepressants, monooxidase inhibitors.

There are new-generation antidepressants that came later, a new generation that affect the serotonin system (serotonin reuptake inhibitors). Then there were dual antidepressants, noradrenergic mechanism, then there were multimodal antidepressants acting on several factors … That is, antidepressants are changing, the pharmaceutical industry is investing a lot of money to achieve a high effect of drugs, and to have more targeted drugs affecting the human brain, affecting the so-called neurotransmitter connection. Because depression is a violation of neurotransmitters: serotonin, noradrenergic mechanisms.

Modern antidepressants have become, first of all, safer, first of all. They can be prescribed (and are prescribed) not for weeks and months, but sometimes for several months, and if necessary, with a major depression, even for years. Secondly, modern antidepressants do not cause dependence, you can live with them, compared to what happens with tranquilizers. Therefore, often people prescribe for themselves, or unfortunately, internists do not fully understand what it is, assessing that the patient’s condition is excessively emotional, has simply disturbed sleep, or excessive pain syndrome. This is a separate topic – somatized depressions, which are manifested by bodily reactions, the same chronic pain.

They begin to prescribe tranquilizers. Modern antidepressants are much safer than tranquilizers and antipsychotics. When a doctor prescribes (both an internist and a psychiatrist) antidepressants, this should be treated as a safe but active therapy. I repeat: today there are many groups of antidepressants. The choice should be only for a specialist. To say: “Depression – and you have an antidepressant on you” is not to say anything. The doctor does not start with an antidepressant, he begins by trying to bring the biological norm of his patient – the” biological ” life of the patient back to normal. For example, so that he goes to bed on time, has a rest, so that he does not have a” downed ” day, there are no other provoking stress factors.

Plus, antidepressants are beginning to be prescribed (Order zoloft without a prescription). But which ones are the action of a doctor. For example, a patient has a grossly disturbed sleep. Of course, he will choose the group of antidepressants that have a good effect on sleep and have a mechanism for influencing the patient’s emotional state during the day. In a patient with excessive anxiety (both depression and anxiety), a group of antidepressants will be prescribed, which has a greater effect on depression and anxiety. Or reduced motor skills … the patient does not move much, or he is inactive, passive. Or vice versa, it moves, it is active, but has no concentration.

Here is the choice of a doctor. There are really a lot of antidepressants, but this is already a professional approach. The only thing is not to be afraid of antidepressants. You need to forget the slang words “sit down”, “become dependent” on antidepressants. Modern antidepressants do not cause addiction. But this is an active drug, which requires a clear drug interaction with the patient. The patient should understand the pros and cons. Since it has no drugs, no side effects.

And it needs to be said. The word “titration”: how the drug is prescribed, how the dose increases, how it is removed for treatment. There are antidepressants that can be removed simultaneously. There are antidepressants that require gradual withdrawal, gradual withdrawal, so that there is no rebound syndrome. This should be explained by a doctor.