There are a variety of different types of antidepressants, all believed to work slightly differently in the treatment of depression. These medications affect the major depression neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. Perhaps you or someone you know have been on one or more of these:
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
-Usually a first line of defense
-Increase serotonin in the brain by preventing it from being reabsorbed
-Common SSRIs: Prozac, Paxil, Lexapro, Celexa, Zoloft
-Common Side Effects: drowsiness, dry mouth, nervousness, anxiety, insomnia, decreased appetite, weight gain and sexual dysfunction
-In My Opinion: This is one of the more likely candidates for weight gain, although if one is eating to mask their feelings, this may actually cause weight loss (such as in binge eating disorder)
Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (NeRIs)
-Increases norepinephrine in the brain by preventing it from being reabsorbed
-Common NeRIs: Edronax
-Thought to increase alertness and and concentration besides benefiting mood
-Common Side Effects: dry mouth, constipation, headache, drowsiness, dizziness, excessive sweating and insomnia
In My Opinion: These drugs are not considered addictive because they do not affect dopamine; this being said, I doubt most doctors would prescribe this considering many people still use these recreationally to boost mental alertness, energy and for an appetite suppressant; these can be used in the treatment for ADD in replacement of drugs such as Ritalin or Adderall (which are addictive)
Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs)
-Second line of defense after SSRIs
-Increase Serotonin, Norepinephrine and possibly affect Dopamine levels
-Common SNRIs: Effexor, Cymbalta
-Common Side Effects: Similar to SSRIs
-In My Opinion: Less likely to cause weight gain than SSRIs and do produce similar side effects as SSRIs
Norepinephrine-Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitors (NDRIs)
-Increases dopamine in the brain, and also slightly increases serotonin and norepinephrine
-Common NDRIs: Wellbutrin
-Common Side Effects: Restlessness, agitation, insomnia and seizures
-In My Opinion: Loved the way I felt on this drug, until I had a seizure - I had quite a bit of energy and lost weight, I would say I have controversial feelings about this drug
Tricyclic Antidepressants
-Used if the above medications do not work
-Increases serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain
-Common Side Effects: increased heart rate, drowsiness, dry mouth, constipation, urinary retention, blurred vision, dizziness, confusion, and sexual dysfunction
-Because of the potential toxicity/lethal nature of this drug if ingested at great amounts, it is less commonly used
-In My Opinion: I have never been on any of these, because after researching them I learned that most people gain an enormous amount of weight on them; they can also be used for the treatment of nerve pain I believe
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs)
-Increase serotonin and norepinephrine by blocking monoamine oxidase which breaks them down
-More affective than tricyclics but not commonly used because they have life threatening interactions with certain foods/medications
-To use this drug a patient must avoid certain foods that could cause a life threatening interaction (often foods containing tyramine) - this is a fairly strict diet and is much more involved than many of the other drugs
-Common MAOIs: Nardil, Marplan, Parnate
-Common Side Effects: dizziness, blurry vision, dry mouth, headache, lethargy, sedation, insomnia, weight loss/gain, nausea, diarrhea/constipation, urinary retention, muscle tremors, herpthermia, sweating, hypertension/hypotension, hepatitis, and sexual dysfunction
-In My Opinion: I have never been on these drugs either, because at the time I was not willing to go on a special diet. These drugs would not fit into my current diet either. I think these are a great risk, but at one point I was very interested in one group of them because of their affect on tyrosine.
A good reference for deciding what potential side effects a drug could have is to research the effects of the neurotransmitter it is working on.
This information was obtained using:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antidepressant#Selective_serotonin_reuptake_inhibitors_.28SSRIs.29
Gutman, S. A. (2008). Quick Reference Neuroscience. Thorofare, NJ: SLACK Incorporated.
I am not a physician, and this information is not meant to treat or diagnose.
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