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topicLogo Antidepressant

An antidepressant is a psychiatric medication used to alleviate mood disorders , such as major depression and dysthymia and anxiety disorders such as social anxiety disorder . According to Gelder, Mayou &*Geddes (2005) people with a depressive illness will experience a therapeutic effect to their mood; however, this will not be experienced in healthy individuals. Drugs including the monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), tetracyclic antidepressants (TeCAs), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are most commonly associated with the term. These medications are among those most commonly prescribed by psychiatrists and other physicians, and their effectiveness and adverse effects are the subject of many studies and competing claims. Most typical antidepressants have a delayed onset of action (2–6 weeks) and are usually administered for anywhere from months to years. Despite the name, antidepressants are often used to treat other conditions, such as anxiety disorders , obsessive compulsive disorder , eating disorders , chronic pain , and some hormone-mediated disorders such as dysmenorrhea . Some of these uses are FDA-approved and some are off-label. Alone or together with anticonvulsants (e.g., Tegretol or Depakote), these medications can be used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and substance abuse by addressing underlying depression. Also, antidepressants have been used sometimes to treat snoring and migraines . Many drugs produce an antidepressant effect, but restrictions on their use have caused controversy and off-label prescription is a risk, despite claims of superior efficacy. They also treat the symptoms, not the underlying causes. Opioids were used to treat major depression until the late 1950s. Amphetamines were used until the mid 1960s. Prescribing opioids or amphetamines for depression falls into a legal grey area. Research has only rarely been conducted into the therapeutic potential of opioid derivatives for depression in the past sixty years, whereas amphetamines have found a thriving market for conditions as widely arrayed as attention deficit disorder , narcolepsy , and obesity , and continue to be studied for myriad applications. Both opioids and amphetamines induce a therapeutic response very quickly, showing results within twenty-four to forty-eight hours; the therapeutic ratios for both opioids and amphetamines are greater than those of the tricyclic anti-depressants. In a small study published in 1995, the opioid buprenorphine was shown to have potential for treating severe, treatment-resistant depression, but this approach has never been pursued due to the social stigma attached to opioids in addition to that attached to mental illness in America. Other medications that are not usually called antidepressants, including antipsychotics in low doses and benzodiazepines , may be used to manage depression, although the use of benzodiazepines can cause a physical dependence. Stopping benzodiazepine treatment abruptly can cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. An extract of the herb St John s Wort is commonly used as an antidepressant especially in Europe, although it is labeled as a dietary supplement in some countries. The term antidepressant is sometimes applied to any therapy (e.g., psychotherapy , electro-convulsive therapy , acupuncture ) or process (e.g., sleep disruption, increased light levels, regular exercise) found to improve a clinically depressed mood. Inert placebos can have significant antidepressant effects, and so to establish a substance as an antidepressant in a clinical trial it is necessary to show superior efficacy to placebo. The difference in effect between active placebos and several anti-depressants appeared small and strongly affected by publication bias . There is some evidence to suggest that mirtazapine and venlafaxine may have greater efficacy than other antidepressants in the treatment of severe depression.
162 Premium Questions
141 Online Doctor Chat
397 Public Forum Questions

Premium Questions (162)

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Hi I'm 48 male 5'10" 175# i've suffered depression for about 15 years I have chronic fatigue bad concentration lack of motivation I take40 mg citalopram 300mg buprppion 20mg methylphenidate x4 latley I decided to get my testastorne checked it...
I am so unhappy and frightened. I am a 55 year old female who started to feel unwell in August 2010. The start I am sure was a sharp pain just above my right ear more or less in my temple. From then I started to have the most strange symtoms. All...
If I take Lexapro 10 mg twice a day how many hours can I space it out? I took it around 2 PM today and its 1030 PM now.
I have recently developed a ringing in my right ear - a pulsating ringing (possibly pulsatile tinnitis). Last week, in the morning when i turned round in bed, I had a very intense sensation of spinning in my head and it took several seconds for my...
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Online Doctor Chat (141) - Antidepressant

Doctor : hi Doctor : how can i help you? User : I got married on 10 Feb 2010. after 4-5 months problems started with my in-laws. I am residing with them. I got so frustrated with all that what they were doing with me. I started getting...
User : Uncontrollable tongue movement and biting Doctor : Hi Doctor : How can I help you? User : I had my monthly visit with my psychiatrist about a month ago and a part of his check-up is to check my tongue to make sure it's not moving when it...
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Doctor : Hi User : hello Doctor : I am Dr Doctor : How can I help you ? User : hi my doctor presribed a belcome thasone inhaler preventer but i am worried abt the steriods in it Doctor : Ok User : i had a badcough because of the viral...
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User : My friend took the drug Effexor for his severe depression. He was on the drug for about a year but decided to stop cold turkey. How long is it before the withdrawl symptoms occur and what are they? What day of stopping cold turkey will...
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User : hello there worried about getting a sertoine syndrome User : Hi User : as a guy write his storie about it User : i will type what he said User : What medicine are u sing? User : What medicine are u using? User : Are you there? User...
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Public Forum (397) - Antidepressant

1 Answer
hello doctor,i just wanted to inform u dat i have had white tongue with red spots on both sides of the tongue.Is this a sign of HIV .I would also like to tell u dat i had been taking anti depressant oleanz 2.5 mg.could it be due to taking anti-depressants.Do anti depressants affect our immune system and cause sore throat?
1 Answer
Why did my doctor prescribed me peogesterone on 16th day onwards for having a baby??
4 Answers
Hello Doc . please kindly make it clear on the drug pancef, a doctor prescribed me. Thank you.
2 Answers
My Wysolone dosage is being tapered down. It has come down to 5 mg now (highest dosage was 60 mg) after 5-6 months. Feeling very tired, sleepy, having headache , giddy feeling. Is it withdrawl symptom of Wysolone? Shaleen
2 Answers
hello doctor im feeling very low and sad for nearly 7 months now im on antidepressants changed a few times i cant be happy lost my confidence just doubt myself i feel i have everything lost even my own dignity im trying other therpy too like cbt talking with therpists i dont know what more i can do
1 Answer
Hi, I have always been feeling this way but lately is has become ALOT more common, we re talking a couple times a week & i9t can last for hours. I get like Dejvu & then i start feeling sick, dizzy & i get to the point where i can stand because i feel like i m spinning , i can t talk because i feel like i m going to vomit . I had a miscarriage a...
Last night I was awoken with a severe itching in my right foot the only way to get any relief was to get out of bed and walk on a cold floor. This evening it has re-occured and I cannot seem to relieve it. I do have eczema and the only recent change of medication is stopped taking my anti-depressants 60mg duloxatine one a day am.
1 Answer
i have been trying to have a baby with my husband. i feel sick light headed, pain , and dizzy. I also have endrometerosis. I feel like there is something wrong. I have recvied my period but this month and last it was early. Could there be something wrong ?
2 Answers
I just took my bp and it was100/80, I take 2 bp medicines a day and buspar . Is this dangerously low? The first time I took it, it didn t take right. The second time it gave me this result.
1 Answer
Im 18 and my doctor scheduales me to induce my labor and my due date was on August 18 I dont have any medical conplications So I dont know if I should wait for labor to naturally come or go get induced I am 18 and my due date was on August 18. My doctor is insisting that I go get induced, eventhough I dont have any medical issues like diabetes...
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