Antidepressant medications are most commonly used to help relieve the distress of depression or anxiety, or to help with other conditions such as bulimia and chronic pain. There are several classes of antidepressants:
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), e.g. Prozac, Paxil, Luvox, Celexa, Cipralex, Zoloft
- Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), e.g. Effexor, Cymbalta, Fetzima, Pristiq
- Norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs), e.g. Wellbutrin, Zyban
- Noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressants (NaSSAs), e.g. Remeron
- Nonselective cyclics, e.g. Elavil, Tofranil, Norpramin, Aventyl
- Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), e.g. Nardil, Parnate
Antidepressants can take up to several weeks to be fully effective. They have a wide variety of side effects depending on the class, which are often treated with additional medications.
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