How do Antidepressant's work?
548119
SL's answer is pretty much what I was going to say, but I'll add one point to it.\n\nSelective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI's) are the most common, latest generation of antidepressants and include most of the drugs you hear about today:  Paxil, Zoloft, etc.\n\nHowever, there are other antidepressants out there that work differently, sometimes similarly, but on different chemicals.  Some of these drugs are classified as Tri-Cyclic Antidepressants (TCA's) and others are Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOI's).\n\nMany antidepressants (especially the TCA's and MAOI's) can have serious side effects or drug interactions, so they have to be taken very carefully, and under the direction and supervision of a physician.
293199
When you start or go off an anti-depressant, you will have side effects.  Usually, the first 2-3 weeks when you start and it takes about that long to leave your system. The best thing to do is have someone to talk with like a friend, family member, or counselor.  Some anti-depressants will make you suicidal.  If you have any feelings of ending your life you need to talk to someone immediately.  Its not you, its the drugs.  Make sure to stay on the meds unless your doc takes you off.  If you don't like the one your on there are other kinds, just be honest with your doc.
1002202
Princess - when you post these kinds of questions, unfortunately you will get inane and irrelevant answers from religious fanatics who do not believe human problems have organic origins.  I am just surprised that this time it was a Muslim instead of someone in one of the many "Christian" sects that also denigrate psychology and psychiatry.  Oh, well, religious fanatics are essentially the same, no matter which "holy book" they read.\n\nNow to the meat of your query.\n\nYou got many sound replies above.  Anti-depressants have variable results according to the individual.  They also have variable results according to the dosage - for example, a big dose of Zoloft can produce different consequences than a lesser dose.\n\nI am surprised that you apparently have not been under a regimen of monitoring by the doctor(s) who diagnosed you.  It is typical when a patient begins this treatment to be checked frequently to monitor the effectiveness of the medications, and if they do not work right, to be changed.\n\nAs a side statement, be aware that you can't really drink if you have depression, and especially when on medications.  Alcohol IS a depressant.\n\nAlso, anyone diagnosed with acute depression (as I presume is what they said of you) should be placed under the direct care of a psychiatrist.  Psychiatrists are medical doctors who are trained in these matters and the use of medications as an element of treatment.  They do not always require a patient to undergo intensive analysis and theray.  Today's psychiatrists are inheritors of Freud's work, but they are much, much different from the old-fashioned concept of egg-head analysts.  \n\nAny mental health problem produces behavioral consequences, however,  And these can persist beyond the effect of chemical sources of the problem.  Depression is not entirely a chemistry problem, usually, and to think that medications alone will resolve depression is to miss an opportunity to go after the things that cause or contribute to the problem.\n\nWe are ALL mixed-up folk.  There's nothing whatsoever wrong with getting un-mixed-up if we get the chance.  Go back to your doctor, milady, and get a referral to a psychiatrist you can trust and work with, and keep your appointments.  By the way, my experience suggests that a psychiatrist who embraces "gestalt therapy" methods is the most effective.
407515
you really need to speak to a qualified doctor about this, since two people on the same anti depressant can experience varying degrees of the same side effects or in fact different side effects altogether.\n  I take efexor and it took many years of trying various anti depressants at varying doses before I found one that worked for me and that I suffer little or no side effects with.  The only unpleasant side effect happens if I miss a dose.
93865
SSRIs like Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil work great. Effexor is one of the newer medications that works well also.
448865
there is not one good anti-depressant vs. another but the one that works for you the best is the best one. because everyones chemistry is different so you might say prozac is really working great for me but, bob might say prozac made me sick but he think zoloft is better for him and you say no that stuff made me sleep. so there's your answer for the anti-depressent. Now, i can tell you the newest anti-dep out is called cymbalta and it supposibly has no side effects and starts working within a week. now, the anxiety could easily be stoped once the anti-depressant starts working but if it's severe and you need something now depending on your age they will prescribe a xanax or ativan but not for long because there controlling substances now if your in your teens they will probably perscribe buspar which only takes a week to work and is not addicting. GOOD LUCK!
500139
The mind is a very very powerful thing. If you truly believe that you are getting something as a cure, it will really work. \n\nAn experiement was done with antidepressants. They mixed them up....half were placebos, half were the real thing. They did not say which ones were placebos. The people that were taking the pills kept a journal about the effects, the placebos did have some effect, but they did not seem to work AS GOOD as the antidepressants. :o)
576371
I was told by my therapist: Antidepressants are temporary solutions. Depression is usually caused by your lifestyle. Perhaps you don't get enough sun? Or maybe you smoke too much pot. Either way, antidepressants are supposed to help you feel better while you're working on the changes in your life that need to be done. Talk to your doctor about lowering the dosage, and make the necessary changes in your life so that you feel good. The pills aren't the solution, they're only there to help you on the right path.
72836
We all go through different levels of depression from one stage to another in our lives.  I've experienced times when I did have to take medication for a short time, but didn't like the effects it had on me, so stopped.\n\nWhat works for me when I'm depressed is to focus on what makes me happy!  Even if it's something as simple as watching the beautiful sun set and realizing how lucky you are to be alive.  There are tons of things that we take for granted, that make us smile in our daily lives, try and grasp those thoughts to help you pull yourself out!
158688
There are alot of different kinds and brand names of medications that treat depression.  If Lexapro works for you, then use it.  If it doesn't, then your doctor can prescribe something else.  It can be a long process to see what med works best for you as it takes awhile for the med to get into your system.  On the other hand, you may be lucky and the very first med you try may be the best one for you.  Only you and your doctor can make that decision. I would not go on someone else's opinion ( i.e. the local "street" doctor or friend) because each person's body chemistry is different.  If the Lexapro works, then don't fix it!!
931767
I have taken antidepressants off and on for 22 years.  I have taken tricyclics, SSRIs and what they refer to as atypicals (like Effexor).  I know hundreds of people who take them through my work and they are fine.  The antidepressants allow them to function more comfortably while hopefully they work on other ways of dealing with life and the causes of the depression or other disorder.\n\nBut...as to what we know long term...I asked my doctor the same thing and he said, and I agree, we do not know.  The trycyclics have been around a while, but they are not given much anymore.  The SSRI's have not been around a "life span" so in essense we are still finding out about them.  \n\nWe do know that for some people, they reach a point where they stop working and they much either up the dose, change to a different medicine or add a medicine to what they are taking now.\n\nSome people are NOT able to take them, that we do know. And, we do know that the reaction to them is very individualized...one person may do great, the next person may not get any relief at all. Going off them should be done with your doctor and any of them should be tapered off very, very slowly to prevent relapse.\n\nIn time I think there will be better medicines for us and we will also know more about those we take now.  Medicine is advancing almost as fast as technology.  But, really, I am glad you are doing okay now.
515560
It is an anti-depressant. For chronic depression.
743423
It would help to understand how the medication works on your brain, which will give you some resolve in why it's not good to miss doses. \n\nLexapro is part of the SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) group of antidepressants, the most selective for cases of major depression.  The drug works by keeping the neurotransmitter Serotonin, in your brain longer, instead of naturally returning to it's storage bins in your brain for later use, thus lessoning your depression.\n\nSerotonin is believed to play an important role in the regulation of body temperature, mood, sleep, emesis (vomiting), sexuality and appetite. Low levels of Serotonin have been associated with several disorders, notably depression, migraine, bipolar disorder and anxiety.\n\nRegulating your Serotonin is a complex process that occurs in your brain via SSRI's.  Naturally, you'll start to feel better over time, as the Serotonin stays in your brain longer and your brain will become acustomed to this, building a dependancy.  When stoping an antidepressant, your Dr. will create a discontinuation schedule and may counter the withdrawal effects with other drugs.\n\nSince your brain has become acustomed to the medication, stoping abruptly will cause problems.  Some of these problems are \n\nSSRI discontinutation Syndrome.\nhttp://bipolar.about.com/cs/antidep/a/0207_ssridisc1.htm\n\nBrain Shivers;\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_shiver\n\nand essentially, feeling even more depressed then you were prior to taking the medication.\n\nMost antidepressants develop some sort of dependancy.\n\nThere is currently no generic for Lexapro and there won't be one until the patent expires.\n\nMed compliance is a huge issue for patients suffering with psychiatric disorders.  You should always follow your Dr's advice and inform them of any changes in medication you have made voluntarily so that they can keep you out of harms way.\n\ngood luck
646321
Mood stabilizers help regulate moods so that you don't have manic or depressive episodes. It tries to "balance you out". However, it works more on manic episodes than on depressive episodes, that is why anti-depressants are usually perscribed.
323932
Well Prozac is a medicine used to treat depression.  It takes a while to work, since instead of being a direct medicine that would increase the amount of the neuro-transmitter that makes you happy, it is a medicine called a "re-uptake inhibitor" meaning that when the happy neuro-transmitter would normally leave the nerve endings, the Prozac medicine keeps the transmitter there, meaning that the next time your brain would send out a happy signal that it sends out a larger dose of happy.  The drug Klonopin is used to treat several types of seizures.  Prozac is not normally used for post-mortem or post-partem depression.
485817
I am not actually on any antidepressants. but since I have realized that you really need an answer I thought you may like to see the following link:\nhttp://www.depression-guide.com/nardil.htm\n\nsorry ...:(
310915
If you are taking them for depression, it might take 4-8 weeks for a response on an effective dose of an antidepressant. An effective dose for effexor usually starts at 150 mg daily. Risperdal is usally given for either augmentation or if you are having psychotic symptoms, and the response for the later is usually within a week, otherwise your Dr. will need to increase the dose.