The Good Caregiver by Robert L. Kane Dr

Author:Robert L. Kane Dr.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2011-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

Source: J. A. Yesavage and T. L. Brink, “Development and Validation of a Geriatric Depression Screening Scale: A Preliminary Report,” Journal of Psychiatric Research 17, no. 1 (1983): 37-49.

Depression Medications

Depression is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain involving neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. A number of different medications are available to treat depression. They all go by the title “antidepressants,” but they work quite differently. The newer drugs affect the brain’s uptake of serotonin. The most commonly prescribed class of drugs, called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs (such as Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil), work by inhibiting serotonin uptake. Tricyclics (such as Nefazodone) are an older method of treating depression. They work by inhibiting serotonin and norepinephrine uptake in the brain. Trazodone works on serotonin uptake as well, and bupropion (sold under the name Wellbutrin) weakly inhibits brain cells’ use of norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors, or MAOIs, increase the levels of neurotransmitters by affecting the chemicals that metabolize them. These are very rarely prescribed, however, because they interact dangerously with common foods.

The biggest factor in choosing the best drug is the prescribing doctor’s experience with that drug. It is often safer and better for a physician to work with the drugs he or she knows best, rather than adopting each widely advertised new product.

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