| While it may be easy to recite the various brand | | | | MAOIs Brand name (chemical name) |
| names and generalize their benefits enough to know | | | | Nardil (phenelzine), Parnate (tranylcypromine) |
| they put us (or are supposed to put us) in a better | | | | Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs) |
| mood, for lack of a better term, the drugs themselves | | | | Tricyclics have been available longer than any other |
| can all be categorized individually, each working in a | | | | depression and anxiety medications. In 1958, the first |
| slightly different way. | | | | tricyclic, imipramine (Tofranil), was released to help |
| The following is a list and very brief description, by | | | | combat major depression, and physicians saw a 70% |
| category, of depression and anxiety medications | | | | positive response within their patients. Previously the |
| currently prescribed by physicians. | | | | only treatments for severely depressed patients were |
| Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) | | | | amphetamines and electroshock therapy. TCAs |
| SSRIs, which are fairly new to the arsenal of | | | | increase the brain's supply of serotonin and |
| depression and anxiety medications, have gained | | | | norepinephrine, two of the brain's three |
| immense popularity among prescribing psychiatrists | | | | neurotransmitters, but it also affects some of the |
| within the past 10 years. They are usually prescribed | | | | brain's other nerve impulses as well, and this allows for |
| during the early stages of depression, if a person has | | | | more side effects. |
| sought help and behavioral and/or psychotherapy has | | | | Severely depressed and/or hospitalized patients see |
| not proven effective enough. With appropriate dosage, | | | | the most benefit from taking TCAs because of its |
| SSRIs can "catch" depression before it becomes | | | | sedative effect. In the past, patients were usually |
| severe. Although they do not work for 20% to 40% of | | | | prescribed tricyclics before anything else, but with the |
| people who try them, their ability to work for people | | | | movement of psychiatrists (and patients!) toward |
| with minor (and even major) depressive illnesses | | | | heading off depression before it becomes severe and |
| makes them attractive enough to prescribing | | | | or chronic, TCAs are now usually only prescribed if the |
| psychiatrists to try them first before moving on to | | | | other types of depression and anxiety medications |
| more serious depression and anxiety medications and | | | | don't work. |
| methods, if need be. SSRIs work on serotonin, one of | | | | TCAs Brand name (chemical name) |
| the brain's three neurotransmitters. | | | | Adapin (doxepin), Anafranil (clomipramine) , Elavil |
| SSRIs Brand name (chemical name) | | | | (amitriptyline), Endep (amitriptyline), Ludiomil (maprotiline), |
| Celexa (citalopram), Lexapro (escitalopram oxalate), | | | | Norpramin (desipramine) , Pamelor (nortryptyline), |
| Luvox (fluvoxamine), Paxil (paroxetine), Prozac | | | | Pertofrane (desipramine), Sinequan (doxepin), Surmontil |
| (fluoxetine), Zoloft (sertraline) | | | | (trimipramine), Tofranil (imipramine), Vivactil (protriptyline) |
| Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MOAIs) | | | | Non-specified or "Other" depression and anxiety |
| MAOIs are the type of depression and anxiety | | | | medications |
| medications that work for people who are mildly | | | | Because their chemical make-ups do not fit into any of |
| depressed, develop mild depression over a long period | | | | the other categories, the following list of depression |
| of time, are overly sensitive to their environment, or | | | | and anxiety medications can only be termed as |
| who are easily able to emerge from periods of | | | | "other." Wellbutrin, Desyrel, Remeron, and Effexor are |
| depression. People who demonstrate an excess of a | | | | prescribed most. Each of the four drugs affects at |
| particular activity (ie, overeating, oversleeping, emotional | | | | least one of the brain's three neurotransmitters |
| overreaction) as compensation with stress can benefit | | | | (norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine), and as a result, |
| from MAOIs, which work on the three | | | | each has its own particular set of side effects. As a |
| neurotransmitters (called monoamines) found in the | | | | result, psychiatrists are much more likely to prescribe |
| brain: norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine. These | | | | one of the other types of depression and anxiety |
| are usually only prescribed when a person hasn't | | | | medications (SSRIs, MAOIs, TCAs) before switching to |
| responded to any of the other types of depression | | | | one of these. In some instances, a patient's regimen is |
| and anxiety medications. | | | | augmented by combining an SSRI or TCA with |
| A strict diet must be followed if taking an MAOI, | | | | an"other" depression and anxiety medications, but |
| because in conjunction with certain foods, the body | | | | because of an MAOI's particular chemical make-up |
| can react with elevated blood pressure, headaches, | | | | and dietary requirements, it is prescribed alone. |
| fluctuating blood sugar (for people with diabetes), and | | | | Brand names (chemical names) of Non-specified |
| in more severe cases, brain hemorrhage. Because of | | | | depression and anxiety medications |
| these risks, MAOIs were taken off the American | | | | Buspar (buspirone), Cymbalta (duloxetine), Desyrel |
| market for a while, but were reintroduced for patients | | | | (trazodone) , Effexor (venlafaxine), Edronax, Vestra |
| who haven't had luck with any other depression and | | | | (reboxetine), Remeron (mirtazapine), Serzone |
| anxiety medications. | | | | (nefazodone), Wellbutrin (bupropion). |