Antidepressant

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An antidepressant is a psychiatric medication used to alleviate mood disorders, such as major depression and dysthymia. 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. Many drugs produce an antidepressant effect, but restrictions on their use have caused controversy and off-label prescription a risk, despite claims of superior efficacy.

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. Alone or together with anticonvulsants (e.g., Tegretol or Depakote), these medications are also used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and substance abuse by addressing underlying depression. Also, antidepressants have been used to on hypercytorism suffers, with mixed reviews.

Other medications that are not usually called antidepressants, including antipsychotics in low doses and benzodiazepines, may be used to manage depression, although benzodiazepines may cause physical dependence if treatment is not properly monitored by a doctor. Stopping benzodiazepine treatment abruptly can cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. An extract of the herb St John's Wort is commonly used as an antidepressant, 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.

For more information about Antidepressant, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

News tagged with antidepressants

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Antidepressants cut risk of hospital readmission for suicidal youth

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Dec 17, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

Suicidal adolescents who were prescribed an antidepressant medication during inpatient psychiatric hospital treatment were 85 percent less likely than others to be readmitted within a month after discharge, a new study found.

Antidepressants may increase risk of stroke and death

Medicine & Health / Medications

Dec 14, 2009 | 4 / 5 (1) | 0

Postmenopausal women who take antidepressants face a small but statistically significant increased risk for stroke and death compared with those who do not take the drugs. The new findings are from the federally-funded, multi-institution, ...

Cognitive therapy key to tackling depression

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Dec 14, 2009 | 4.3 / 5 (3) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- New research from The University of Western Ontario shows why people suffering from depression may have a far greater hope of finding lasting relief by receiving cognitive therapy, rather than simply taking ...

Most antidepressants miss key target of clinical depression

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Dec 08, 2009 | 4 / 5 (1) | 0

A key brain protein called monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) - is highly elevated during clinical depression yet is unaffected by treatment with commonly used antidepressants, according to an important study published today in ...

Is it right for drug companies to carry out their own clinical trials?

Medicine & Health / Other

Nov 30, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

In BMJ today two experts debate whether the conflict of interest is unacceptable when drug companies carry out clinical trials on their own medicines.

Women More Likely Than Men to Suffer Depression After Stroke

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Nov 10, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Depression occurs in as many as one-third of patients after a stroke, and women are at somewhat higher risk, according to a large new review of studies. Post-stroke depression is associated with greater disability, ...

Hunting for the Prozac gene

Medicine & Health / Genetics

Oct 27, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

Prozac works wonders for some depressed people, but not for others. In some cases, patients derive little benefit and at worst, it can lead to bizarre hallucinations and fits of rage. Researchers and doctors remain puzzled ...

Why antidepressants don't work for so many

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Oct 23, 2009 | 5 / 5 (24) | 4

More than half the people who take antidepressants for depression never get relief. Why? Because the cause of depression has been oversimplified and drugs designed to treat it aim at the wrong target, according to new research ...

Study reveals an increase in long-term antidepressant drug use

Medicine & Health / Medications

Oct 22, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

A dramatic rise in antidepressant prescriptions issued by GPs has been caused by a year on year increase in the number of people taking antidepressant drugs on a long-term basis, according to researchers from the University ...

Early treatment of fibromyalgia more effective

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

Oct 22, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- People suffering from fibromyalgia have reduced activity in the parts of the brain that inhibit the experience of pain. Drugs that affect the CNS can be effective against the disease, and ...

Depression in older cancer patients can be effectively treated with collaborative approach

Medicine & Health / Cancer

Oct 20, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

Depression in older cancer patients can be effectively treated with collaborative approach in primary-care settings.

New brain stimulation treatment may offer hope for those with treatment resistant depression

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Oct 13, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

A new neurosurgical procedure may prove helpful for patients with treatment-resistant depression. Bilateral epidural prefrontal cortical stimulation (EpCS) was found generally safe and provided significant improvement of ...

Antidepressant use during pregnancy associated with some adverse outcomes in newborns

Medicine & Health / Health

Oct 05, 2009 | 4 / 5 (1) | 0

Exposure to a certain class of antidepressant medications during pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of preterm birth, a low five-minute Apgar score (a measure of overall health of the baby) and admission to ...

Antidepressant and placebo are equally effective in child pain relief

Medicine & Health / Diseases

Oct 01, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 1

When used "off-label," the antidepressant amitriptyline works just as well as placebo in treating pain-predominant gastrointestinal disorders in children, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journa ...