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Main Types of Depression Medications

Depression is treated by a combination of various techniques and medications including antidepressant drugs, electroshock therapy (ECT), diet therapy, and exercise and relaxation techniques. Depression medications or antidepressants are still the most widely used form of treatment for depression because they provide quick relief from symptoms of depression.

Depression medications can be divided into three main types: Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors, Tricyclic Antidepressants, and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. More recently, Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors have also been included into the clinically prescribed categories of antidepressants.

Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs)

Some of the earliest depression medications, which are still widely used for treating depressive disorders, are the Tricyclic Antidepressants, or TCAs. These drugs act by making the anti-depressant neurotransmitters (serotonin and norepinephrine) stay longer in the brain by preventing them from reabsorbing into nerve cells.

Lately, TCAs have come under serious criticism by health professionals due to the many side effects of these drugs. A serious adverse effect of TCAs has been the increased suicidal tendency in their users. Hence, these are not the first choice of psychiatrists today to prescribe for patients of depression.

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs)

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors, or MAOIs, relieve depressive symptoms by blocking the activity of monoamine oxidase, an enzyme-cum-neurotransmitter that burns up monoamines (serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine), which results in the depletion of these natural antidepressant chemicals.

By preventing monoamine oxidase from destroying these neurotransmitters, MAOIs allow a greater supply of monoamines to the brain, providing relief from depression. The main problem with MAOIs is that they also raise the blood pressure of the patient, posing the risk of bursting blood vessels in the brain. Also, people taking MAOIs are expected to practice restraint in case of diets like cheese, cream, liver, some forms of meat, and sausages etc.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, or SSRIs, came in use as depression medications in the late 1980s. These antidepressants work by blocking specific sites (receptors) on nerve cells that reabsorb (reuptake) the neurotransmitter serotonin-the low supply of which induces depressive symptoms.

By blocking these receptors selectively, SSRIs cause a longer availability of serotonin in the brain, relieving depression. While these are considered safer than other types of antidepressants like MAOIs and TCAs, SSRIs have their own side effects like nausea, headache, digestive problems, sleep disturbances, and nervousness etc.

Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs)

Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors, or SNRIs, are a newer type of depression medications. They are very similar to SSRIs except that they also prevent the reuptake of norepinephrine in addition to that of serotonin. The side effects of SNRIs are also similar to SSRIs, though users of SNRIs may also experience tremors, gas, blurred or double vision and any other unusual effects.