There are more drugs approved to treat depression than for treating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), but many times doctors prescribe antidepressants and many other psychiatric medications "off-label" in the treatment of OCD, notes MayoClinic.com. When a doctor prescribes medication for something other than what the Food and Drug Administration has approved it for, he's using the drug off-label--an accepted and legal practice, MayoClinic.com says. Many of these medications could be used for OCD but have not been approved by the FDA.
SSRIs
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are approved for use in the treatment of OCD and depression. SSRIs work by blocking the reuptake of serotonin in the brain, leaving more serotonin for the brain to use. According to MayoClinic.com, SSRIs are usually the first drug tried when treating depression because they're safer and have generally fewer negative side effects. SSRIs used for treating depression include fluoxetine or Prozac, paroxetine or Paxil, sertraline or Zoloft, citalopram or Celexa and escitalopram or Lexapro, MayoClinic.com says. SSRIs that are used in the treatment of OCD include fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, sertraline and paroxetine, according to FamilyDoctor.org.
SNRIs
Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) block the reuptake of both serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain and leave more serotonin and norepinephrine for the brain to use. SNRIs used for treating depression include duloxetine or Cymbalta, venlafaxie or Effexor and desvenlafaxine or Pristiq, MayoClinic.com says. Duloxetine should not be taken if there is a history of or current liver disease.
NDRIs
Norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs) block the reuptake of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain, leaving more of these chemicals available for the brain to continue to use. An example of an NDRI used to treat depression is bupropion or Wellbutrin, MayoClinic.com says. It says high doses of bupropion can induce the onset of seizures, but it's the only antidepressant that doesn't have sexual side effects.
Tricyclic Antidepressants
According to MayoClinic.com, tricyclic antidepressants--an older form of antidepressant medication--are usually just as effective as newer versions but tend to have more severe side effects. Usually, doctors refrain from prescribing tricyclics until they have tried SSRIs without success. A tricyclic antidepressant used for treating OCD is clomipramine, reports FamilyDoctor.org.
MAOIs
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) tend to be a medication used only if everything else has failed, because they can have dangerous interactions with certain foods, MayoClinic.com says. A person taking MAOIs has to avoid these foods that include but are not limited to specific cheeses, pickles and wines. MAOIs used to treat depression include tranylcypromine or Parnate and phenelzine or Nardil.
