Depression Treatment: What Are The Options?

 It is best if a person with depression works together with their doctor or mental health professional, to find the treatment that is right for them.

Some people respond well to psychological treatments, while others respond better to medications.

While some people may only need psychological, psychiatry treatment, other people (me included!), require BOTH psychological treatment and medication.

A word of caution: I am not saying that every person who has depression should take medication. For now what I would like to share with you, are my experiences with depression medication, that I have used to treat my depression.

Before we get into the effectiveness of depression medication, I think that it would be helpful to outline exactly what medications are used to treat depression.

Medications Used To Treat Depression

The most common medications to treat someone with depression are anti-depressants.

So what are anti-depressants?

They are medications that are designed to reduce or relieve the effects of depression.

Types Of Anti-depressants

There are many types of depression available. Each type, family or class has its own method of helping depression.

Within the classes, each drug is slightly different. There are side-effects and warnings common to each class of antidepressants, and many of the individual drugs have additional side-effects or warnings as well.

Let's take a closer look at each family of anti-depressants, starting with the one most people have heard about.

SSRIs:

SSRI stands for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. These medications work by preventing the neurotransmitter serotonin from being reabsorbed by the nerve cell that released it, thereby forcing the serotonin to keep actively working.

These two terms are essentially synonymous.

SNRI stands for serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, while SSNRI stands for selective serotonin norepinephrine medication management, but there really isn't any appreciable difference.

Both duloxetine and venlafaxine are SNRI's. I was on a venlafaxine for 3 years before it seemed to stop working for me.

 

There are other classes or family of anti-depressants, but the above 2 are what I have used, and I don't want this article to be too technical!

Unfortunately, when it comes to anti-depressants, one size does not fit all! It is only through trial and error by trying the anti-depressants your doctor or psychiatrist prescribes, until you find one that works for you.

Also, it is trial and error with the dosage amount. Each time that I was put on an anti-depressant, my psychiatrist started with a low dosage and increased it as need be over time.

As with all prescribed medications, there are possible side-effects. I was lucky with both venlafaxine and sertraline in that the only side-effects I had with each anti-depressant was a headache and mild nausea.

These side-effects only lasted a few days, so it was a small price to pay for the huge positive benefit that they gave me.

It is important to note, that a doctor or psychiatrist should monitor a person's anti-depressant medication to see if it is still working and if the dosage is correct.

People with depression often have an imbalance in certain natural chemicals in the brain. So anti-depressant medications work by helping the brain to restore its usual chemical balance and thereby reduce symptoms.

I often get asked the question, "How long does it take for them to work?"

For me, it took 2 to 3 weeks for the anti-depressants to work. But my research indicates that it can take up to six weeks after the first dose of medication before it has an anti-depressant effect.

For some people it can take up to eight weeks or a anxiety before they start to feel better, and the maximum benefit is felt after six months.

Anti-depressant medication is generally very effective. Around 70% of people with major depression start to feel better with the first type of anti-depressant they are prescribed.