| Whilst talking therapies can help resolve the underlying problems causing or contributing to depression, pills can help the symptoms of depression. It is believed that when levels of certain brain chemicals, noradrenaline and serotonin, are too low then the symptoms of depression occur. Antidepressants work by increasing the levels of these chemicals in the brain thus relieving the symptoms of depression. Not all people benefit from taking medication but it is most helpful to those with biological depression (i.e. caused solely by a deficiency of noradrenaline and/or serotonin in the brain). There are three main type of antidepressants available: · Trycyclic Antidepressants (TCAs) · Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs) · Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors Different medications work better for different people and it is a case of finding out which one suits you best, this may take some time as antidepressants don’t work quickly and take a few weeks (somewhere between 4 and 8 weeks usually) before they start to work. You may find that you need to continue taking the medication for a period of maybe up to or more than 6 months after you have recovered because it takes time for the brain chemicals to return to normal. Antidepressants are not addictive so it is safe to take them for a long period of time. You may find that you experience some side-effects from anti-depressant medication but all medications have side-effects. Usually they will go away within a couple of weeks and only in a small minority of people are they so bad that they cannot continue with their course of treatment. Different antidepressants have different side-effects and it may just take time for you to find one that suits you best. |
| ANTI-DEPRESSANTS |
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| TRYCYCLIC ANTIDEPRESSANTS (TCAs) MONOAMINE OXIDASE INHIBITORS (MAOIs) SELECTIVE SEROTONIN REUPTAKE INHIBITORS (SSRIs) OTHER ANTIDEPRESSANTS |