Antidepressant

Medications:

Most common: SSRIs

Also common: SNRIs
Old school: Tricyclics
Last resort: MAOIs
The unique ones:
Atypicals

How they work:

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, or messenger, in your
brain. The more serotonin moving freely in your brain,
the better your mood. SSRIs work by blocking the
serotonins parking spots, or re-uptake ports, so the
serotonin circulates, improving your mood as more and
more serotonin builds up in the synapse.

SSRIs Selective Seratonin

Reuptake Inhibitors
Common SSRIs:

Prozac / fluoxetine

Paxil / paroxetine

Zoloft / sertraline

Lexapro /
escitalopram

Celexa / citalopram

Luvox / fluvoxamine

Common Side Effects include: nausea,

vomiting, diarrhea, sexual dysfunction,
headache, weight gain, anxiety, dizziness,
dry mouth, and trouble sleeping.

SNRIs
Serotonin /
Norepinephri
ne Reuptake
Inhibitors

These medications
work in a similar way
to SSRIs, but facilitates
the increase in TWO
neurotransmitters
serotonin and
norepinephrine
Some examples of
SNRIs are Effexor/
venlafaxine,
Cymbalta /
duloxetine, and
Pristiq /
desvenlafaxine

Some of the older anti-depressants are still in use today for

treatment resistant depression or to help with specific
symptoms

Tri-cyclic Antidepressants:

MAOIs

Atypicals

Amitriptyline, Doxepin,
Imipramine, and
Nortriptyline are examples.
Some people respond to
these medications when
others have failed. Some
help with symptoms better
than other antidepressants,
for instance, amitriptyline is
often used to help with OCD
and related anxiety.

MAOIs were the first

antidepressants developed.
They are effective in treating
depression. However,
extremely strict diet guidelines
must be followed when taking
MAOIs to avoid very serious side
effects. Things to avoid are:

There are some

antidepressant
medications which work
in unique ways. Some of
these are commonly
used, like Wellbutrin.
Some have
antidepressant
properties, but are used
to promote sleep, like
trazodone and
mirtazapine.

aged cheeses, sauerkraut,

cured meats
fermented soy products, such

as soy sauce, miso or tofu

Alcohol, beer, and wine

Vilazodone (Viibryd)
and Vortioxetine
(Brintellix) were
approved in 2013 and
2011. They are the next