Types Of Antidepressant Pills?

There are many types of Antidepressant Pills available. Each type, family or class has its own method of helping depression.

Within the classes, each drug is slightly different. There are side-effects and warnings common to each class of Antidepressant Pills, and many of the individual drugs have additional side-effects or warnings as well.

Let's take a closer look at each family of Antidepressant Pills, starting with the one most people have heard about.

SSRIs:

SSRI stands for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. These medications work by preventing the neurotransmitter serotonin from being reabsorbed by the nerve cell that released it, thereby forcing the serotonin to keep actively working.

SSRI's include: 

Fluoxetine.

Sertraline - This is what I take to manage my depression.

SNRIs and SSNRIs:

These two terms are essentially synonymous.

SNRI stands for serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, while SSNRI stands for selective serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, but there really isn't any appreciable difference.

Both duloxetine and venlafaxine are SNRI's. I was on a venlafaxine for 3 years before it seemed to stop working for me.

There are other classes or family of Antidepressant Pills, but the above 2 are what I have used, and I don't want this article to be too technical!

Unfortunately, when it comes to anti-depressants, one size does not fit all! It is only through trial and error by trying the anti-depressants your doctor or psychiatrist prescribes, until you find one that works for you.

Also, it is trial and error with the dosage amount. Each time that I was put on an Antidepressant Pills, my psychiatrist started with a low dosage and increased it as need be over time.

As with all prescribed medications, there are possible side-effects. I was lucky with both venlafaxine and sertraline in that the only side-effects I had with each anti-depressant was a headache and mild nausea.

These side-effects only lasted a few days, so it was a small price to pay for the huge positive benefit that they gave me.

It is important to note, that a doctor or psychiatrist should monitor a person's anti-depressant medication to see if it is still working and if the dosage is correct.