Depression Medication: Types of Antidepressants

Clinical depression is treated with a wide range of different medications. Zoloft, Prozac, SSRIs, TCAs, MAOIs – the different terms can confuse and bewilder. Antidepressant drugs generally fall into three broad categories, each of which is described below.

The categories listed above are by no means exhaustive. That is, your doctor could prescribe a drug that does not appear in any of the general categories mentioned. New drug treatments for depression are being developed and tested in pharmacology and research labs around the world. In the US, drugs must receive FDA approval before entering the consumer market.

Your doctor will choose the drug that's best for you. When starting a medication, your doctor might adjust the drug dosage, depending on your reaction. This is not unusual. Most medications must be taken for a period of time before results are seen, so it's important to report any problems or side effects to the prescribing physician. Because some of these drugs have serious interaction effects — that is, if you take them with other medications, the result could be very damaging to you — never take antidepressants with any other medications or supplements without first consulting your physician. And never take any medication that was prescribed for someone else.

Resources

DepressionClinic.com. (nd). Antidepressants. Retrieved September 21, 2001, from www.depressionclinic.com/
mentalhealth/depression/medication/default.htm.

National Institute of Mental Health. (updated 2002). Depression [NIH Publication No. 02-3561].

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (2006, February 28). FDA approves Emsam (selegiline) as first drug patch for depression. FDA News.