Approximately 20.9 million American adults suffer from a mood disorder, states the National Institute of Mental Health. Moderate to severe cases of depression are treated with a combination of therapy and antidepressant medications. Mild forms of depression or depression with symptoms caused by biological processes can typically be treated with antidepressant medications exclusively.
SSRIs
SSRIs, or selective seratonin reuptake inhibitors, are used to treat naturally occurring chemicals that change your mood. Fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), citalopram (Celexa) and escitalopram (Lexapro) are commonly prescribed SSRIs. Side effects of SSRIs include decreased sexual desire or delayed orgasm, digestive problems, jitteriness, restlessness, headache, insomnia, sweating and dizziness.
SNRIs and NDRIs
SNRIs, or seratonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, are designed to regulate the amount of seratonin and norepinephrine in your system. SNRIs help your body to find an adequate amount of these chemicals to help regulate your mood. Commonly prescribed SNRIs include duloxetine (Cymbalta), venlafaxine (Effexor) and desvenlafaxine (Pristiq). SNRIs are not recommended for patients with liver disease.
NDRIs are norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitors. NDRIs work in similar fashion to SNRIs but focus on the combination of norepinephrine and dopamine. NDRIs have no sexual side effects, but they can increase the risk of seizures.
Atypical Antidepressants
Atypical antidepressants are a form of antidepressants that work differently than the common forms (i.e., SSRIs, SNRIs and NDRIs). Traxodone, sold as Desyrel, and mirtazapine, sold as Remeron, are two common atypical antidepressants. These antidepressants do have some sedative side effects, and some doctors choose to prescribe them for patients who have troubling sleeping.
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