People suffering from mood disorders or mood swings are prescribed anti-depressants to allay their conditions. The most common ones associated with mood alleviation are tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs, tetracyclic antidepressants (TeCAs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
The medication for anti-depressant drugs are done by registered psychiatrists and physicians as these are prescribed for long periods of time, ranging from a few month to years. Doctors often use antidepressant drugs to treat other conditions like, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, chronic pain, and even some hormone-mediated disorders like dysmenorrhea.
Therapies like acupuncture, psychotherapy, electro-convulsive therapy, sleep disruption, increased light levels and regular exercise, may also use the term anti-depressant to cure a person ailing from clinically depression. Inert placebos have also been known to have considerable anti-depressant effects.
There are various types of anti-depressants like Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), Noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressants (NaSSAs), Norepinephrine (noradrenaline) reuptake inhibitors (NRIs), Norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs), Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), Monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOIs) and Augmenter drugs. Sedatives and tranquilizers are prescribed to ease anxiety and induce sleep but due to the high dependency factor, these drugs are prescribed for short term usage only.
If there is no response within 6 to 8 weeks of taking an anti-depressant drug, the doctor should change the anti-depressant from its present class to another class. However, once a person stops taking the drug, the effects of the drug wear off. This could lead to a relapse.
Often antidepressants have shown side effects and difficulty in tolerating them is a common reason for discontinuing an effective medication. The adverse effects of these drugs include diarrhea, nausea and headaches. There could also be loss of libido, erectile dysfunction or failure to reach orgasm. Other common side effects include dry mouth, drowsiness, blurred vision dizziness, tremors, skin rash, and increase or decrease in weight.
