Antidepressant drugs

It should not confuse depression with sadness. Nowadays we often use the phrase "I'm depressed" when in reality we are not. While the serious that a specialist must diagnose, sadness is a natural state of mind and normal that does not require any type of treatment.

The loss of a loved one, a job, financial or health hardships can make us sad, but that does not imply that we are depressed or that you have to medicate unnecessarily. An antidepressant drug is a medication that cannot be taken before the slightest setback, but it must always be the psychiatrist who, after evaluating it, decides if it really is a depression that requires treatment. antidepressant drugs should never be taken without medical supervision.

The choice of antidepressant drug he makes will depend on:

Different types of antidepressants

Depending on the symptoms, the psychiatrist will choose one or another family of antidepressants. Next, we explain what these 6 antidepressant drugs consist of.

Tricyclic antidepressants

Tricyclic antidepressants are one of the oldest groups of antidepressant drugs out there. Inhibit the recapture of serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, acetylcholine, and histamine nonspecifically, causing various side effects and can lead to dependence. Despite being old drugs, they give good results and are still used in clinical practice and their therapeutic effect can be seen a month after treatment.

Their main side effects They are dry mouth, tachycardia, postural hypotension, drowsiness and low libido.

Heterocyclic or atypical antidepressants

Heterocyclic or atypical antidepressants are also a second-generation group of drugs, similar in structure to tricyclics, but with fewer side effects. Today it is used less in pursuit of SSRIs.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

They are the type of antidepressant most used today in clinical practice, in part because by acting specifically on serotonin they do not produce as many side effects like tricyclic antidepressants. Its effect mood stabilizer it usually occurs after 2-4 weeks of treatment.

The main side effects of SSRIs are nausea, dizziness, anxiety, or mild drowsiness.

Selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)

They are drugs similar to SSRIs but that act on both serotonin and norepinephrine. Its effect looks something faster than in the case of SSRIs.

The side effects they are similar, in addition to alterations in libido, erectile dysfunction, ejaculation disorders or anorgasmia.

Non-selective and irreversible monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)

MAOIs are a group of antidepressants that have been used for years. They tend to respond well to patients with a atypical depression or that is accompanied by intense anxiety and phobias, as well as depressive disorders resistant to other treatments.

Its main side effects They are dizziness, drowsiness, weakness, dry mouth, nausea, and sexual disturbances. One of the dangers of MAOIs is that they can trigger a crisis hypertensive if you take certain drugs or foods rich in tyramine that are prohibited during treatment with MAOIs. Among them we find cheese, canned fish, wine, chocolate, coffee or beans.

Selective and reversible monoamine oxidase inhibitors (RIMAs)

RIMAs are selective and reversible inhibitors of monoamine oxidase, thereby producing less cardiovascular effects, but sometimes its effect is less than that of MAOIs.

• The symptom companions experienced by the patient (anxiety, inhibition, presence of delusions ...)
• Possible pathological features personality prior to the onset of depression or the sudden onset of symptoms.
• Consumption of others medicines.
  • Examples: amitriptyline, clomipramine, doxepin, imipramine, nortriptyline, and trimipramine.
  • Examples: mirtazapine, trazodone, mianserin and maprotiline. mirtazapine and trazodone have a greater sedative effect, which is why they are sometimes prescribed in low doses to help you fall asleep.
  • Examples: citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, and sertraline.
  • Examples: desvenlafaxine, duloxetine and venlafaxine. Reboxetine acts only on norepinephrine and can cause dizziness, hypotension, dry mouth and profuse sweating.
  • Examples: The antidepressants are MAOIs phenelzine, nialamide and tranylcypromine.