Effective Medications for Mood Disorders

Antidepressant medications are getting widely used today as effective treatments for depression. There are a number of antidepressant medications that are being used to treat depressive disorders, and each of these types of medicine works a little differently.

The three main classes of medications are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRI's, monoamine oxidase inhibitors or MAOI's , and tricyclics. There are also several newer medications as well that are distinct in their way of treating depression.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRI's are probably the class of antidepressants available to day that offer the least amount of side effects to users. Clinical evidence show that a substantial decrease in side effects has increased safety of use of this type of medication relatively compared to older medications and made this class of medication becoming very popular in treating depression and other mood disorders.

SSRI's work by blocking the pre-synaptic serotonin transporter receptor. SSRI drugs work by allowing the available neurotransmitter serotonin to be utilized more efficiently. Having a low level use of serotonin in the brain is noted as one of among several neurochemical symptoms of depression. Low levels of serotonin can be caused by an anxiety disorder, because serotonin is needed by the body to metabolize stress hormones

Medications like SSRI's are specific to serotonin and do not have a direct effect on norepinephrine. They have either little or no effect on other monoamine transporters, thus having little direct influence on the level of other neurotransmitters.

SSRI's have the distinct advantage of not reacting with histamine and acetylcholine in the body, which is responsible for the troublesome side-effects such as dry mouth, blurry vision, weight gain, and sedation.  Although they are not totally without side effects, their tolerability seems to be much better than with the use of tricyclics for depression treatment.

There are ongoing studies that have also found that SSRI's may cause either a delay of sexual climax in many people. Because of this side effect, drug companies have been developing SSRI medication that is specifically targeted to treat premature ejaculation. Currently, there are five SSRI drugs currently available on the market today. They are Citalopram (Celexa), Fluoxetine (Prozac), Fluvoxamine (Luvox), Paroxetine (Paxil) and Sertraline (Zoloft)

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors or MAOI's were some of the first antidepressant medications developed. The MAOI's work with the monoamine oxidase enzyme controlling substances associated with the break down of serotonin and norepinephrine. This allows the neurotransmitters responsible for mood in the brain to better assist brain cells in sending messages for longer periods than are usual in a depressive mind.

MAOI's are no longer first-line antidepressants because of their history of having fatal interactions with other medications, including cold pills. That is why patients taking MAOI's must avoid foods, drinks, and medications that are considered interactive with the said medication. Examples of MAOI medications include Phenelzine (Nardil) and Tranlycypromine (Parnate).

Tricyclic antidepressants or TCA's are seldom being used today for depression treatment due to the many side effects that they can cause. These medications work by inhibiting the nerve cell's ability to reuptake serotonin and norepinephrine.