Anti-Depressants Help To Cure Depression
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As the name suggests, anti depressants are drugs that are used to help overcome serious cases depression.  Everyone feels sad or depressed at some point of time in his or her life. These sad feelings are usually transient and do not affect our daily work routine. However, in certain cases, a person may feel sad and discouraged over a period of time and these feelings rob the person the ability to function normally. Such a state is known as depression.

There are certain chemicals called neurotransmitters that are responsible for the normal functioning of the brain. An example of one such chemical is serotonin; also known as the feel good chemical. When a person is suffering from depression, the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain diminish.  The main function of antidepressant is to increase the availability of neurotransmitters.

Antidepressants provide help to people suffering from depression. Drugs of this class are an aid and not a panacea for curing depression. These drugs have to be taken under the supervision of a doctor or a qualified psychiatrist.

If you are suffering from depression then you should visit a qualified psychiatrist. The doctor after carrying out a thorough evaluation will prescribe either counseling sessions or anti-depressants or a combination of the two.
 
Antidepressants are used to treat not just depression, but also other conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorders, eating disorders and premenstrual syndrome.

The continuous intake of antidepressants may also prove to be harmful. It is recommended that these should be taken under medical proper supervisions only.

Types of Anti depression Drugs

Antidepressants fall mainly under the following two categories.

1) Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
2) Tricyclic Antidepressants or tricyclics

SSRIs reduce the capability of the nerves to absorb the neurotransmitter serotonin thereby increasing its availability in the brain. It is a long-term medication that is used to treat many conditions such as anxiety disorders and depression.

Tricyclic antidepressants work in a way similar to SSRIs but act not only on serotonin but also on the neurotransmitter called norepinephrine.

Antidepressants are prescription drugs that are meant to be sensible prescribed, used, and not abused. They have a number of possible side effects the risk of which only a doctor can evaluate. These drugs are also known to react with other medications. Antidepressants should be used only under the medical supervision.


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