Depression Medication Facts


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Depression > Depression Medication

The most commonly prescribed antidepressant today - Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors are designed to block the body’s natural re-uptake of serotonin so that more serotonin is available to act on receptors in the brain thereby producing a mood lift.

Unfortunately, the low serotonin levels associated with depression are not the cause of the condition but rather the resulting effect of excessive stress being placed on the mind. Depression medications can provide some welcome short term relief for sufferers but are by design only beneficial to temporarily control extreme symptoms, not cure depression.

Pros
Antidepressants can be very effective in reducing severe physical symptoms of depression.
SSRI's work quickly to increase serotonin levels in the brain and temporarily lift the mood.
In mild cases depression medications can be useful to push through a short term stressful life experiences.
In extreme cases antidepressant medications can play a beneficial supportive role by suppressing
excessive symptoms and increasing the effectiveness of causal treatments.

Cons
Antidepressants don't treat the cause they only temporarily mask the symptoms.
Many people report the side effects of depression medication are worse than the depression itself.
Due to their mood lifting effects, depression medication often cause dependency.
Withdrawal from depression medication can cause new symptoms and/or exacerbation of old ones.
When treated solely with depression medication, sufferers face up to an 80% chance of relapse.
Most depression medication is effective in only one third of cases, partially effective in another third
with the remainder experiencing little or no improvement at all.

Because depression is a condition that pulls you into a downward spiral of negative thoughts and emotions that become so intense the body displays (often severe) physical symptoms. Antidepressants are designed to treat these symptoms and can be very effective in this regard, however depression medication alone cannot treat the causes. While boosting serotonin levels can be a very welcome temporary relief for the sufferer, when the medication is denied most people find themselves back at square one again.

Research into permanent alternative depression treatments have come a long way in recent years and there are now highly effective treatments available that work quickly by breaking the causes of depression rather than just masking the symptoms with medication.

Depression Medication	The Side Effects
SSRIs	Gastric disturbances, restlessness, sleeping problems, lack of orgasm, suicidal thoughts, pancreatitis, hair loss, blood disorder and stroke, dry mouth and more.
NaSSA	Most commonly increased appetite, weight gain, sedation, less commonly raised liver enzymes, jaundice and rarely low blood pressure, skin rash, tremors, reversible blood disorders, muscle spasms.
MAOIs	Weakness, dizziness, headaches, trembling, dangerous rise in blood pressure. Even MAOIs can cause digestion of certain foods to become poisonous.
SNRIs	Gastric disturbances, restlessness, sleeping problems, lack of orgasm, suicidal thoughts, pancreatitis, hair loss, blood disorder and stroke, dry mouth and more.
TCA	Dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation, difficulty urinating, worsening of glaucoma, impaired thinking and tiredness, affects blood pressure and heart rate, hormone related effects, drowsiness and nausea, abnormal liver functions.
NARI	Insomnia, sweating, dizziness, low blood pressure, vertigo, tingling in the skin, dry mouth, constipation, rapid heartbeat, reduced blood potassium especially in elderly, impotence.