Antidepressant List

An antidepressant list for medications your doctor may prescribe for depression.

If you suffer from depression, your doctor may advise you to take medication.

The list of antidepressants is long and includes many different drugs.

However, most of these drugs have the same end result, which is returning the level of neurotransmitters in your brain to normal.

Antidepressants primarily affect dopamine, serotonin, and/or norepinephrine.

They either block the reuptake of the neurotransmitters or they cause an increase in their release.

Here is a list of antidepressants that are commonly prescribed today.

SSRI Antidepressant List

SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are considered the first choice in medication for treating depression. These drugs increase the level of serotonin in the brain and tend to have fewer side effects compared to other antidepressants.

It may take from two to twelve weeks to respond to SSRI therapy. It is important to be aware your depression may return once the medication is discontinued.

Possible side effects include nausea, insomnia, agitation, sexual dysfunction and impulsivity. Some popular SSRI drugs include paroxetine (Paxil), fluoxetine (Prozac), escitalopram (Lexapro), citalopram (Celexa), and sertraline (Zoloft).

SNRI Antidepressants

SNRIs, or serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, are referred to as dual inhibitors as they affect two neurotransmitters; serotonin and norepinephrine. These drugs have an increased risk for side effects, particularly with the cardiovascular system and sexual function.

Some patients may experience severe withdrawal symptoms when an SNRI drug is discontinued. The SNRI antidepressant list includes duloxetine (Cymbalta), venlafaxine (Effexor), and desvenlafaxine (Pristiq).

NDRI Antidepressants

NDRIs, or norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitors, affect multiple neurotransmitters such as dopamine, and norepinephrine. A common side effect of NDRIs is weight loss and improved sexual function in some cases.

Other possible side effects include insomnia, headache, nausea, agitation, and restlessness. High doses may cause seizures and dangerous heart rhythms. NDRIs include bupropion (Wellbutrin).

NDRA Antidepressants

NDRAs, or norepinephrine dopamine releasing agents, work by causing more dopamine and norepinephrine to be released in to the brain. NDRAs may cause restlessness, rapid heart rate, headache, erectile dysfunction, dizziness, hyperactivity, palpitations, and arrhythmias.

Patients may experience withdrawal symptoms when NDRAs are discontinued. This type of antidepressant drug includes multiple amphetamine salts (Adderall), dextromethamphetamine (Desoxyn), dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine), lisdexamphetamine (Vyvanse), methylphenidate (Ritalin), and dexmethylphenidate (Focalin).

Tricyclic Antidepressants

Tricyclic antidepressants were once the first choice in treating depression before SSRIs came into wide use. Tricyclic antidepressants work by blocking the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine.

They are proven to be effective at treating depression but have many unpleasant side effects. They are still prescribed today for patients that do not respond to SSRI therapy.

Possible side effects include constipation, blurred vision, dry mouth, weight gain, dizziness, drowsiness, and sexual dysfunction. Sometimes more serious side effects may occur like changes in heart rhythm, overdose, and pulmonary fibrosis.

The tricyclic antidepressant list includes amitriptyline (Elavil), doxepin (Sinequan), imipramine (Tofranil), desipramine (Norpramin), protriptyline (Vivactil), and trimipramine (Surmontil).

MAOI Antidepressants

MAOIs, or monoamine oxidase inhibitors, work by blocking monoamine oxidase, an enzyme that degrades the neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. MAOIs may have serious side effects so they are generally prescribed only after other forms of treatment have failed.

Possible side effects include low blood pressure, insomnia, drowsiness, and severe hypertension. Dangerous side effects may occur when taking MAOIs with other drugs and certain foods.

MAOIs should not be taken with other antidepressants and foods high in tyramine like cheese, wine, dried meat, and sauerkraut. MAOIs include isocarboxazid (Marplan), tranylcypromine (Parnate), selegiline (Eldepryl), and phenelzine (Nardil).

Other Antidepressants

Doctors may prescribe other drugs to treat depression. These may include mood stabilizers like lithium (Lithobid), valproic acid (Depakote), and carbamazepine (Tegretol).

Other drugs include mirtazapine (Remeron) which is a tetracyclic antidepressant and tianeptine (Stablon) which is a selective serotonin reuptake enhancer.

Doctors sometimes use atypical antipsychotics for treating depression. Two of these drugs are aripiprazole (Abilify), and risperidone (Risperdal).

Ketamine is currently being investigated for use as an antidepressant. Ketamine is an anesthetic which is shown to improve the symptoms of depression after a single injection.

You can see from this list of antidepressants there are many drugs your doctor may use to treat your depression. If one drug doesn't work, there are alternatives to try.

Your doctor will probably start with the drug that has the lowest risk of side effects and make changes to your treatment as indicated. It is important to remember not all the drugs on this antidepressant list work the same way in your body.

You may need several weeks of consistent use before you feel improvement in your depression symptoms.

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