Antidepressants for depression

Antidepressants are used to treat depression as more. Some antidepressants are used to help sleep; others treat anxiety; and some can be used to relieve some types of pain. Antidepressants are theorized to affect neurotransmitters in the brain - chemicals that transmit nerve impulses between neurons (brain cells). In most cases, the active compounds act either to increase the amount of neurotransmitter in the synapse increase (the gap between neurons) or for longer these chemicals.

The first antidepressant, iproniazid was originally developed for the treatment of tuberculosis. It is widely used in the 1950s to treat depression. Iproniazid belonged to a class of drugs called monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). This type of drug that revolutionized the treatment of depression, however, the patient should follow a strict diet in order to avoid dangerous side effects.

MAO inhibitors have been followed by tricyclic antidepressants. The first of these drugs, imipramine (Tofranil), was originally developed as a potential treatment for schizophrenia. He failed administered as a treatment for schizophrenia, but as an antidepressant. Since most tricyclic antidepressants, imipramine elevated mood and increased energy in many depressed patients.

In addition to the treatment of depression, most of these drugs have different uses. Tricyclic antidepressants are to be sedative in the rule; So triclycics such as amitriptyline (Elavil) and trazodone (Desyrel) are sometimes used as a sleep aid (and are also used to treat chronic pain). Buspirone (Buspar) is a tricyclic that is actually used to fear, instead of depression, while clomipramine (Anafranil) is a closely related heterocyclic antidepressant used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) approved.

Nearly 30 years before the first SSRI passed first (inhibitor of serotonin re-uptake inhibitors), was fluoxetine (Prozac) in 1987 approved SSRIs are thought to work by increasing the amount of serotonin in the synapse (although theories explained its competitors emerged antidepressant effect). Such as tricyclic antidepressants, SSRIs used for other purposes as depression. Fluoxetine will be marketed as Sarafem for women with premenstrual syndrome. This is one of the few times that a pharmaceutical company has ordered two names for the same drug. Wellbutrin and Zyban are the same chemicals - bupropion. Wellbutrin is an antidepressant marketed as Zyban and marketed as an aid to quit smoking.

Besides treating depression, antidepressants are probably the most commonly used to treat anxiety. Paroxitine antidepressant (Paxil) has been approved by the FDA to treat generalized anxiety disorder and social phobia. Other antidepressants are also investigated for the treatment of anxiety, even if the FDA not approved. Forrest Labs, creator of citrilopram antidepressant (Celexa) are in the final stages of research escitalopram oxalate (a close relative of citrilopram), marketed as Lexapro. The results of the research at the beginning of the 2002 annual meeting of the Association of Anxiety Disorders of America suggested that the new SSRI is presented effectively in the treatment of social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder. Will be adopted this year to treat depression, but the company hopes that doctors prescribe for anxiety also.

The Internet has served to compensate for the health. Patients to go online regularly to drugs that are prescribed to seek them; and sometimes panic when they read that a certain medicine is an antidepressant. "But I'm not depressed," they say, without realizing that there are other applications of this drug. If you do not know why anyone prescribes medication for you - ask.