Category: medications

All About Meds for Depression

Depression is commonly treated with antidepressant medications. Antidepressants work to balance some of the natural chemicals in our brains. These chemicals are called neurotransmitters, and they affect our mood and emotional responses. Antidepressants work on neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine.

The most popular types of antidepressants are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These include:

  • Fluoxetine (Prozac)
  • Citalopram (Celexa)
  • Sertraline (Zoloft)
  • Paroxetine (Paxil)
  • Escitalopram (Lexapro).

Other types of antidepressants are serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). SNRIs are similar to SSRIs and include venlafaxine (Effexor) and duloxetine (Cymbalta). Another antidepressant that is commonly used is bupropion (Wellbutrin). Bupropion, which works on the neurotransmitter dopamine, is unique in that it does not fit into any specific drug type.

SSRIs and SNRIs are popular because they do not cause as many side effects as older classes of antidepressants. Older antidepressant medications include tricyclics, tetracyclics, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). For some people, tricyclics, tetracyclics, or MAOIs may be the best medications.

What are the side effects?

Antidepressants may cause mild side effects that usually do not last long. Any unusual reactions or side effects should be reported to a doctor immediately.

The most common side effects associated with SSRIs and SNRIs include:

  • Headache, which usually goes away within a few days.
  • Nausea (feeling sick to your stomach), which usually goes away within a few days.
  • Sleeplessness or drowsiness, which may happen during the first few weeks but then goes away. Sometimes the medication dose needs to be reduced or the time of day it is taken needs to be adjusted to help lessen these side effects.
  • Agitation (feeling jittery).
  • Sexual problems, which can affect both men and women and may include reduced sex drive, and problems having and enjoying sex.

Tricyclic antidepressants can cause side effects, including:

  • Dry mouth.
  • Constipation.
  • Bladder problems. It may be hard to empty the bladder, or the urine stream may not be as strong as usual. Older men with enlarged prostate conditions may be more affected.
  • Sexual problems, which can affect both men and women and may include reduced sex drive, and problems having and enjoying sex.
  • Blurred vision, which usually goes away quickly.
  • Drowsiness. Usually, antidepressants that make you drowsy are taken at bedtime.

People taking MAOIs need to be careful about the foods they eat and the medicines they take. Foods and medicines that contain high levels of a chemical called tyramine are dangerous for people taking MAOIs. Tyramine is found in some cheeses, wines, and pickles. The chemical is also in some medications, including decongestants and over-the-counter cold medicine.

Mixing MAOIs and tyramine can cause a sharp increase in blood pressure, which can lead to stroke. People taking MAOIs should ask their doctors for a complete list of foods, medicines, and other substances to avoid. An MAOI skin patch has recently been developed and may help reduce some of these risks. A doctor can help a person figure out if a patch or a pill will work for him or her.

How should antidepressants be taken?

People taking antidepressants need to follow their doctors’ directions. The medication should be taken in the right dose for the right amount of time. It can take three or four weeks until the medicine takes effect. Some people take the medications for a short time, and some people take them for much longer periods. People with long-term or severe depression may need to take medication for a long time.

Once a person is taking antidepressants, it is important not to stop taking them without the help of a doctor. Sometimes people taking antidepressants feel better and stop taking the medication too soon, and the depression may return. When it is time to stop the medication, the doctor will help the person slowly and safely decrease the dose. It’s important to give the body time to adjust to the change. People don’t get addicted, or “hooked,” on the medications, but stopping them abruptly can cause withdrawal symptoms.

If a medication does not work, it is helpful to be open to trying another one. A study funded by NIMH found that if a person with difficult-to-treat depression did not get better with a first medication, chances of getting better increased when the person tried a new one or added a second medication to his or her treatment.

Good source for personal research: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/index.shtml

Healthy Place on Depression Meds: http://www.healthyplace.com/depression/antidepressants/list-of-antidepressants/menu-id-68/

And Buzzle’s List:  http://www.buzzle.com/articles/depression-medication-list-of-antidepressants.html

It’s a Med, Med, Med, Med World!

What are psychiatric medications?

Psychiatric medications treat mental disorders. Sometimes called psychotropic or psychotherapeutic medications, they have changed the lives of people with mental disorders for the better. Many people with mental disorders live fulfilling lives with the help of these medications. Without them, people with mental disorders might suffer serious and disabling symptoms.

How are medications used to treat mental disorders?

Medications treat the symptoms of mental disorders. They cannot cure the disorder, but they make people feel better so they can function.

Medications work differently for different people. Some people get great results from medications and only need them for a short time. For example, a person with depression may feel much better after taking a medication for a few months, and may never need it again. People with disorders like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, or people who have long-term or severe depression or anxiety may need to take medication for a much longer time.

Some people get side effects from medications and other people don’t. Doses can be small or large, depending on the medication and the person. Factors that can affect how medications work in people include:

  • Type of mental disorder, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia
  • Age, sex, and body size
  • Physical illnesses
  • Habits like smoking and drinking
  • Liver and kidney function
  • Genetics
  • Other medications and herbal/vitamin supplements
  • Diet
  • Whether medications are taken as prescribed.

 

Source- NIMH   http://www.nimh.nih.gov/index.shtml

B.B. Thoughts for Saturday, “Zombie-ification”

Don't stop the car
Don't stop the car

by Bryan Lowe

It’s amusing to see how thing get started.  I’ve been hearing a lot about “zombies”.  It’s crazy, but zombies are now suddenly vogue, and I’m sure they appreciate the publicity, having stalked the landscape for so long without any recognition at all.

But seriously, this new social focal point nails down a real issue: Passivity.  I know its a leap, but it seems that that is a real issue in our society.  The dictionary defines the word for us, as “the trait of remaining inactive; a lack of initiative.”  We are often led to a place where we are to accept the status quo, and even see that as a healthy characteristic.

I see two areas of conflict we have with zombie-fication.  One is spiritual, the other mental.  Passivity in our Christian walk is quite dangerous.  We begin to interpret life as something that acts on us, rather than acting boldly and with assurance, we let everything just roll over us.  I’m thinking of Caleb, who in Scriptures is an old man (Joshua 14:11-12).  Yet he “demands” to be given the top of a mountain which is under the control of fierce giants.

Such an attitude is not normal.  I see Caleb as a florescent marker of the Spirit.  You look through  history and he sticks out, you can’t hide him.  He doesn’t blend in and he certainly doesn’t drift into the cold dark night quietly.  He shows up in Numbers 14:24, “But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.”

Having a mood disorder like bipolar,  passivity is brought to you on a platter.  The meds are quite enough to mellow and control all your actions.  (I believe in meds, btw).  Spiritually, we suffer. It is hard for me to believe in God and worship Him if I have no initiative.  I personally find a ferocious battle with myself when ever I try to move closer.

I want to close this out.  I just want to point out this “zombie-ifcation syndrome” is real and that it often haunts us as mentally ill people.  As a fellow believer in Jesus Christ I must resist and stand for Him.  I need to be more aware of these issues, and not become part of the walking dead.  Whatever it takes, I want to be alive.   Being real, not sedated into a mindless stupor.

For more “Zombie fun” see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombie