Depressive symptoms and depressive symptoms can be treated through different intervention strategies. One of them, perhaps the best known, is pharmacological therapy, based fundamentally on antidepressant psychotropic drugs.
Currently we can find several types of antidepressants, from which the doctor or psychiatrist will choose the most appropriate one for the case. The prescription of the drug will be accompanied by indications and explanations for its consumption that the patient must comply with so that the treatment achieves the greatest possible effectiveness.
If you want to know a little more about antidepressant psychotropic drugs, continue reading this Psychology-Online article, in which we talk about types of antidepressants and what they are for.
What are antidepressants and what are they for?
Antidepressants are a type of psychotropic drugs. Next, we will see how they work, what they are used for, their side effects and their types.
How antidepressants work
Based on the monoaminergic hypothesis of depression, Antidepressant psychotropic drugs act precisely by alleviating the deficit in serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine.. In this article we talk in depth about. The first psychotropic drugs, the classic ones, act on all three at the same time. On the contrary, the most modern ones act on them in a selective and specific way.
What are antidepressants used for?
Antidepressants are especially used to treat depression. When we talk about depression we can refer to:
- Depression as a diagnostic picture such as , which entail a series of symptoms that make up the disorder (depressive symptoms such as insomnia, psychomotor retardation, anhedonia, etc.).
- We can popularly refer to “being depressed” as experiencing a low mood. This low mood would not only be a symptom of depressive disorders, we can also find them in other diagnostic conditions.
There are various explanatory theories about the origin of depression. Without disparaging the others, the monoaminergic hypothesis of depression establishes that Depressed people suffer from a deficiency of some of the biogenic monoamines: norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine.. The treatment of depressive disorders includes and combines, on many occasions, psychological therapy and pharmacological therapy. Within the latter, the drugs of choice are antidepressants. Next, we will see what antidepressants are and what they are for.
The treatment must be supervised at all times by a doctor. We should neither self-administer these types of drugs nor discontinue their consumption voluntarily. Abrupt interruption of treatment can cause symptoms such as vertigo, anxiety and agitation, insomnia, nausea, diarrhea, low mood, etc. In this article, we explain.
Antidepressants are indicated, in addition to treating depressive diagnostic conditions such as dysthymia or major depressive disorder, others such as , , , , impulse control disorders, etc.
Side effects of antidepressants
Finally, drugs can cause side effects in patients. This is also the case with antidepressants, especially the more classic ones. The patient must keep in mind that these side effects may appear and that, in addition, the therapeutic effects of antidepressants take between two and four weeks. Therefore, you should not be alarmed if you do not notice improvement and side effects appear during the first weeks. Here we explain.
How many types of antidepressants are there? Next, we will see the 7 types of antidepressants with their names and characteristics.
Tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants (TCA)
This type of antidepressants act on , norepinephrine and muscarinic histamine and acetylcholine receptors. Examples of these drugs are:
- Impramine (Tofranil)
- Nortriptyline (Pamelo)
- Desipramine (Norpramin)
It is a type of classic antidepressant that has a great therapeutic effect that is only observed in depressed patients and would have no effect in the non-depressed population.
As a negative characteristic, we indicate that they can be caused by numerous side effects such as drowsiness, bitterness, dry mouth, constipation, vision problems, tachycardia, decreased libido, etc.
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors can be:
- Irreversible (MAOI): such as Phenelzine (Nardil) either meclobamide. Perhaps the most negative aspect of the irreversible type is that it presents numerous interactions both at a dietary level (for example with cheese or red wine) and at a pharmacological level (even with antipyretic or anti-flu drugs). In addition, it can also cause side effects such as dry mouth, dizziness, constipation, headache, etc.
- Reversible (RIMA). The reversible type (RIMA) at high doses must follow the same restrictive guidelines as the irreversible ones (MAOI).
These act by inhibiting the enzyme monoamine oxidase, responsible for metabolizing biogenic amines (remember that these are norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine).
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
This type of antidepressant acts specifically on serotonin deficiency. Its mood-stabilizing effect usually occurs after 2-4 weeks of treatment. Unlike tricyclic antidepressants, this type of drug has few side effects which also disappear in a few weeks, the most common being nausea, restlessness and headaches. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants are:
- (Prozac)
- Paroxetine (Paxil or Pexeva)
- Sertraline (Zoloft)
- Citalopram (Celexa)
- Escitalopram (Lexapro)
Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
SNRIs act on serotonin and norepinephrine. They act little faster than selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The most important side effect to take into account is hypertensionwhich may appear along with other side effects such as dry mouth or insomnia, in addition to alterations in Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor antidepressants are:
- Venlafaxine (Effexor XR)
- Duloxetine (Cymbalta)
- Levomilnacipran (Fetzima)
- Desvenlafexin (Pristiq)
Noradrenergic and selectively serotonergic (NaSSA)
This type of antidepressant drugs act on the deficiency of norepinephrine and serotonin. It is possible that after its application the patient’s appetite increases and they may gain weight.
- The main name of this type of antidepressant is mirtazapina (Remeron).
Selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
These antidepressants have an effect on norepinephrine. The side effects of these drugs can be dry mouth, constipation, insomnia and sweating.
- The main antidepressant of this type is reboxetine.
Selective dopamine reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
So far, we have seen drugs that selectively act on norepinephrine and serotonin. In the case of SSRIs, the effect is on the .
- The main antidepressant of this type is bupropion.
These are drugs that have been used in the treatment of other psychological conditions such as smoking. Its use is not recommended when there is a history of , mania or .
Finally, you can watch an explanatory video about the types of antidepressants.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Bravo Ortiz, MF (2002) Psychopharmacology for psychologists. Madrid: Synthesis
- Stahl, S. M. (1997) Psychopharmacology of antidepressants. London: Martin Dunitz