Antidepressants are one of the most widely used prescription medications out there. In fact, Americans take more antidepressants than any other type of prescription drug. (Wenner, 2010) Since those who start taking these drugs often take them long-term, they have become a massive cash cow for the pharmaceutical industry. And since they are generally covered by insurance whereas more extensive and effective forms of therapy are usually not, this increases their use still. Unfortunately, few of the people taking these drugs know much of anything about them, and they come with serious side effects. There is also significant debate about how well they work (or if they even work at all). This information will give you the facts you need to make a more informed decision for you and your family.
What are SSRI antidepressants?
SSRI stands for Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor. This class of antidepressants claims to treat depression by increasing levels of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a chemical the brain manufactures (these brain chemicals are referred to as neurotransmitters), and is one of several neurotransmitters linked to mood and emotion. Serotonin is generally linked with feelings of calm, contentment, love and bonding. There are several brands of SSRIs, including Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil, Serexa, and many others.
The brain produces serotonin naturally on a regular basis. Excess levels are then sucked back up by special cells in the brain, returning our brain chemistry to normal, so that our emotional state is kept controlled and remains reactive to our environment. We get a flood of serotonin as we’re cuddling with a baby, for example, or as we share a pleasant conversation with a loved one. Then as the moment passes, other cells step in to mop up all of that extra serotonin in order to return our brain chemistry to a normal baseline state, until the next experience comes along that triggers serotonin release. For every mood chemical in the brain, whether oxtytocin, serotonin, dopamine, or the many different endorphins, there are cells that secrete the chemical and then others that clean it up.
How do antidepressants work?
SSRI antidepressants work by putting a drug into your body that binds to these reuptake cells, so that they can’t do their normal job of soaking up serotonin. Thus, the levels of serotonin in a person’s brain increases. Just as cocaine binds to dopamine receptors, flooding the brain with excess dopamine and providing its signature feelings of euphoria, the idea with SSRI antidepressants is that they’ll flood the brain with more serotonin, thus altering the patient’s overall mood by increasing the levels of this neurotransmitter, with the hope that this will bring about feelings of calm and contentment. Whether this actually works to lift a patient’s depression is very much up for debate.
Other types of antidepressants
Aside from SSRIs, there are also tricyclic antidepressants (an older class of drugs we’ll discuss later) and dual reuptake inhibitors, which are basically the same thing as SSRIs only they target another neurotransmitter such as dopamine as well.
Additional information on antidepressant medication
- Antidepressant Side Effects
- Antidepressants & Suicide Risk
- Do Antidepressants Work? A Look At the Effectiveness of SSRIs
- Statistics On Antidepressant Use
See also…
*Antidepressant use during pregnancy (this link takes you to a separate site)