Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) often a doctor's first choice for most types of depression.
The first-line medicine for patients with depression is generally a SSRI, e.g. citalopram, escitalopram, sertraline or fluoxetine (Tables 1 and 2).
SSRIs. This group of drugs, including fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), fluvoxamine (Luvox), citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Cipralex) and sertraline (Zoloft), is usually the first choice for treatment of depression and anxiety disorders.
Medications and psychotherapy are effective for most people with depression. Your primary care doctor or psychiatrist can prescribe medications to relieve symptoms. However, many people with depression also benefit from seeing a psychiatrist, psychologist or other mental health professional.
In general, because of the side effect and safety profile, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are considered to be the first line antidepressants. Other preferred options include tricyclic antidepressants, mirtazapine, bupropion, and venlafaxine.
Three of the more common methods used in depression treatment include cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, and psychodynamic therapy.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Interpersonal Therapy are evidence based psychotherapies that have been found to be effective in the treatment of depression.
When treating depression, several drugs are available. Some of the most commonly used include: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram oxalate (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine HRI (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft).
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants. They can ease symptoms of moderate to severe depression, are relatively safe and typically cause fewer side effects than other types of antidepressants do.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
SSRIs are among the most commonly prescribed medications. Some examples of SSRIs include sertraline (Zoloft®), paroxetine (Paxil®), fluoxetine (Prozac®) and citalopram (Celexa®).
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly prescribed antidepressant class. Although it's not clear how SSRIs treat depression, these drugs are known to inhibit the uptake of serotonin (a kind of chemical messenger called a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood).
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are antidepressants commonly prescribed to older adults. A psychiatrist, mental health nurse practitioner, or primary care physician can prescribe and help monitor medications and potential side effects.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a class of drugs that doctors consider first-line treatments for depression and anxiety .
Exercise. Research suggests that regular exercise may be a more effective treatment for mild depression than antidepressants. Exercise helps boost levels of chemicals called serotonin and dopamine in the brain, which can lift your mood.
Studies have shown that cognitive therapy is an effective treatment for depression and is comparable in effectiveness to antidepressants and interpersonal or psychodynamic therapy. The combination of cognitive therapy and antidepressants has been shown to effectively manage severe or chronic depression.
Psychological counseling. Psychological counseling (psychotherapy) by a psychiatrist, psychologist or other mental health professional can be very effective. For many people, psychotherapy combined with medication works best.
The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are probably the treatment of choice in treating depression and a gamut of comorbid anxiety disorders. The most used SSRI is escitalopram.
SSRIs are usually the first choice medicine for depression because they generally have fewer side effects than most other types of antidepressant. As well as depression, SSRIs can be used to treat a number of other mental health conditions, including: generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)
How Does Your Doctor Select Which Antidepressant to Administer? Your doctor chooses which antidepressant medicine to recommend based on your symptoms, the presence of other medical conditions, what other medicines you are taking, cost of the prescribed treatments, and potential side effects.
Reach Out for Help
One of the first steps to overcome depression is to find someone to talk to about what you're feeling. Trying to handle depression symptoms alone can get you locked inside your head, making it harder to have a healthy perspective on various situations. People can have difficulty asking for help.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) SSRIs and SNRIs are often the first-line treatment for anxiety. Common SSRI brands are Celexa, Lexapro, Luvox, Paxil, and Zoloft.
Which antidepressants have the mildest side effects? In general, SSRIs are considered the most well-tolerated antidepressants, per the Mayo Clinic; they typically have fewer side effects than other types and can be safely used at higher doses.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
These antidepressants generally cause fewer bothersome side effects and are less likely to cause problems at higher therapeutic doses than other types of antidepressants.