Used or tending to relieve or prevent psychological depression: relating to, being, or utilizing an antidepressant drug, antidepressant treatment. Antidepressant medications increase the activity of chemicals called neurotransmitters in the brain. Increasing the activity of the neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine seems to help lessen the symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Types of antidepressants :

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Doctors often start by prescribing an SSRI
• Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
• Atypical antidepressants
• Tricyclic antidepressants
• Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
• Other medications

Antidepressants can only be prescribed by the following medical health professionals :

• A physician
• A psychiatrist, a medical doctor who specializes in mental health

Major adverse effects attributed to the tricyclic antidepressant drugs (TCAs) include conduction defects and lethal overdose. Most worrisome with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor drugs (SSRIs) is the Serotonin syndrome. Although rare, this syndrome can be insidious and lethal.

The main use for antidepressants is treating clinical depression in adults. They’re also used for other mental health conditions and treatment of long-term pain. In most cases, adults with moderate to severe depression are given antidepressants as a first line of treatment.

There’s no single cause of depression. It can occur for a variety of reasons and it has many different triggers. For some people, an upsetting or stressful life event, such as bereavement, divorce, illness, redundancy and job or money worries, can be the cause. Different causes can often combine to trigger depression.

SSRIs and SNRIs Side Effects :

• feeling agitated, shaky or anxious
• feeling and being sick
• indigestion and stomach aches
• diarrhoea or constipation
• loss of appetite
• dizziness
• not sleeping well (insomnia), or feeling very sleepy
• headaches

When taken correctly, antidepressants will not change your personality. They will help you feel like yourself again and return to your previous level of functioning. The analysis found that in the general population, those taking antidepressants had a 33 percent higher risk of dying prematurely than people who were not taking the drugs. Additionally, antidepressant users were 14 percent more likely to have an adverse cardiovascular event, such as a stroke or a heart attack.

It might seem like you don’t need the medication anymore, but if you stop taking it, the medicine will leave your body and your symptoms might return. Quitting without consulting your doctor can be life-threatening. Suicide is a serious concern. It can also trigger withdrawal symptoms and relapse of your depression.