As the name insinuates, antidepressants are medications used in the treatment of psychiatric complications such as mild to chronic depression, anxiety, social anxiety etc. They may be purchased over the counter or prescribed by a doctor in severe cases where depression interferes with an individual’s daily routine and activities. The cause of depression can be attributed the depreciating levels of neurotransmitters in the brain which are responsible for controlling the moods exhibited by an individual. The major ‘mood-enhancing’ neurotransmitters in the central nervous system are serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine and are vital in bipolar medication. Patients suffering from symptoms of depression have shown to either have a lower level of these neurotransmitters in the brain or exhibit an imbalance amongst them. Benefits of Antidepressants The benefits of antidepressants are numerous as they can be seen as a natural mood lifter to the afflicted. Few are discussed as follows. Increases neurotransmitters in the brain: The primary objective of antidepressants is to restore the levels of the essential neurotransmitter so as to alleviate the negative symptoms associated with depression and other mood disorders such as disorientation, confusion, suicidal thoughts, loneliness and self-pity etc. Depression fighting drugs can modulate the levels of serotonin and other neurotransmitters by either blocking their absorption into the brain, so there are higher levels remnants, or by aiding in the production of more serotonin. Some classes of drugs are also aimed at inhibiting the chemicals that are responsible for the disintegration of serotonin and other neurotransmitters responsible for ...

With the high prevalence of cases of depression, there is no doubt about the fact that an increasing number of people are turning to therapies like light therapy and antidepressants to fight the problem. However, not many people are aware of the negative antidepressant effects that can be rather harmful to the body. For this reason, as long as it is not absolutely necessary, most patients of depression are asked to consider alternatives to antidepressants as a form of treatment. Antidepressant Effects The following are some of the antidepressant effects that have lead many towards alternatives to antidepressants: – Anxiety – Urinary retention – Dryness in mouth – Sleep disruption – Sedation – Abdominal Pain – Dizziness and headaches – Nausea – Agitation – Loss of Libido There are many other antidepressant effects that can be detrimental to a patient’s recovery and effect the daily life and depression as well. It is therefore advisable to consider alternatives to antidepressants. If you are looking for an antidepressant alternative, the following solutions may really help. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Cognitive behavioral therapy is perhaps one of the most effective forms of treatment if you are looking for an antidepressant alternative. Unlike antidepressants, this form of therapy goes beyond treating the symptomatic effects of depression. This approach aims to help depressed patients observe how they think about things and how that brings about depressive effects on their thinking. CBT helps patients of depression to tackle problem areas in their thought process and take ...

Yes we all live in a stressful world and we all go through depression in varying degrees and ways. With a gamut of antidepressants that have come into the market how safe do we feel reading antidepressant reviews and then deciding this is the one for me? Mental Health Professionals We need the guidance of our mental health professional before we pop those so called miracle depression curing pills into our mouths. Before that it is a good idea to read some facts about antidepressants and distinguish fact from fiction. It’s also just as important to know that natural options like pets for depression are effective as well. Momentarily it may seem that antidepressants are working. Yet we have to get to the root cause of the problem causing depression or we are going to suffer dangerous side effects that the very antidepressant effects bring in. Antidepressant Information As the name suggests antidepressants are drugs used to treat a person who is depressed besides something like support groups for depression. They work by altering a group of chemicals in the brain known as neurotransmitters like serotonin, norepinephrine, recognised as mood enhancers. Antidepressants benefit in short enhance mood and is a complementary treatment while the problem by itself has to be tackled by mental health therapy. Antidepressant Effects It takes about two to four weeks for the antidepressant effects to set in because increasing the neurotransmitters takes time. In cases of mild depression antidepressants’ benefit are negligible. However 60% of the ...