Depression and antidepressants can seem like bad news. However, these medications can be a helpful part of your treatment process for several different mental disorders. Depression is one of the most common psychological conditions treated by antidepressants. In fact, about 23% of the people treated with antidepressants for depression will experience relief from this condition.
Antidepressants are drugs used to treat various major depressive disorder, especially some seasonal affective disorders, some mixed panic disorders, generalized anxiety disorder, and some addictions such as alcoholism or smoking. Common side effects of antidepressants include weight gain, dry mouth, dizziness, headaches, fatigue, sexual dysfunction, and mood swings. As well as the common side effects, antidepressants have been shown to increase the levels of monoamine oxidase (MAO) in the brain which is responsible for serotonin production. Monoamine oxidase is important in the body's ability to metabolize and eliminate excess amounts of norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin.
To understand how depression works, it's helpful to know the differences between two neurotransmitters, serotonin and dopamine. These neurotransmitters work in conjunction to regulate mood and behavior. The most commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs are tricyclics such as Tofranil and Norpramin and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac and Zoloft. The SSRIs are known to affect the five-HT system while the Tofranil is known to affect the transporter protein of serotonin. This medication has also been shown to affect a chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which plays an important role in the development of long term memory and depression-related behaviors.
While the above medications can work to control depressive symptoms, they are not without their drawbacks. First, SSRIs have several side effects including sexual problems, fatigue, insomnia, nausea, and agitation. Tofranil, on the other hand, has also been linked to sexual dysfunction and weight gain. Furthermore, neither of these medications are able to prevent relapse. In fact, in some studies, up to 50 percent of individuals who take one of these medications for depression relapse within just a few months.
Fortunately, researchers are developing new medications for depression that work by regulating neurotransmitters and preventing depression-related behaviors. One such drug, Bupropion, works by inhibiting the formation of a certain enzyme, phosphodiesterase. Serotonin and norepinephrine are both affected by this enzyme. Bupropion has been shown to improve mood and reduce depression-related behaviors in several lab studies. Another drug, Sanaframine, is currently being evaluated in clinical trials for treating severe non-suicidal depression.
Preliminary findings suggest that the combination of drugs is highly effective in treating depression and other mood disorders. The study also indicates that people with mild depression may respond well to quetiapine, while those with more severe cases of depression and other mood disorders would likely benefit from the combined effects of Sertraline and neuroleptic drugs. Similarly, preliminary results from the study indicate that individuals with agitated depression, dysthymia, or mixed state depression may benefit from milnacipran or anafranil. These findings are encouraging as more individuals are suffering from depression and need to find a treatment that works for them.
While other researchers have examined the relation of medication with suicidal thoughts, another group of researchers has examined the effect of medication on people with major depression, dysthymia, or mixed state depression. In these studies, children were randomly assigned to receive either mood stabilizers or mood suppressants. The drugs had no effect on children with major depression or on children with dysthymia or mixed state depression. However, researchers were able to conclude that the drugs did reduce depressive symptoms, which was consistent with prior studies using SSRIs. In addition, they were able to conclude that serotonin transporter inhibitors, but not mood stabilizers, are most effective when treating depression and anxiety.
Because serotonin and other neurotransmitters are involved in a variety of brain function, including arousal, memory, appetite, depression, anxiety, sexuality, motivation, blunted immune response, and several other areas of the brain, the precise effects of medications on each individual are not known. It is believed that different concentrations of drugs affect different receptors and consequently, the brain will develop its own tolerance to the drug. Therefore, it is recommended that individuals start out with lower doses and titration as the body adapts to the drug and begins to find a balance in serotonergic and non-serotonin types of depression. ..