Antidepressant medications
What are antidepressants?
Antidepressant medicines are not stimulants or ‘uppers’, and they are not addictive. Doctors believe they reduce the symptoms of depression by correcting chemical imbalances in a person’s brain.
When antidepressants are used properly, they can be extremely effective. They can reverse the misery of depression and help a depressed person feel like himself or herself again.
Do they work?
Doctors estimate that 60 to 70 per cent of people who have major depression are helped by initial antidepressant medication. Although antidepressants are used most often to treat serious depression, they often work well for less serious kinds of depression, so don’t feel afraid to talk to your doctor if you have been experiencing a recent loss of pleasure in your surroundings, or are having other symptoms of depression such as restless sleep, waking very early in the morning, loss of appetite or feelings of hopelessness or guilt.
Are antidepressants suitable for me?
If your doctor believes antidepressants will be likely to help you, he or she will assess your symptoms based on a number of factors, some of which are:
- how severe your depression is;
- your past medical history;
- your current medical problems and medications being taken;
- whether any antidepressant medicines have worked for you in the past; and
- the side effects you might be likely to experience.
It is very important that you follow your doctor’s instructions exactly so that you have the best chance of a full recovery. He or she might tell you that you need to take antidepressants for what appears to be a long time. You should follow this advice, and do not stop taking the medicine just because you begin to feel better. Your symptoms may return if you stop the medicine before the doctor tells you to stop.
How soon will I feel better?
It will probably be one to 3 weeks after starting the medicine before you begin to feel better, so do not be discouraged if things do not improve straight away. Also, some of your symptoms might get better sooner than others — if you have sleeplessness, for example, this might go away before your mood improves.
What kinds of antidepressants are there?
Antidepressant medicines generally fall into several types, or classes as they are called, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclics (TCAs) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). As well, there are some newer medicines available which are unique in the way they work.
Each class, or type, of antidepressant works on brain chemistry in a different way. If the antidepressant you are prescribed doesn’t work for you, your doctor may try one from a different class. Some people may need to try several different medicines before they find the one that works for them.
Last Reviewed: 14 March 2001
