antidepressant

1. preventing or relieving depression.

2. an agent used for relief of symptoms of depression. One type is the tricyclic antidepressants, so called because of their chemical structure, which has three fused rings; they block reuptake of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and serotonin at nerve endings. This group includes amitriptyline (Elavil), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Sinequan), imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), and trimipramine (Surmontil). Two drugs with different chemical structures but similar effects are amoxapine (Asendin) and maprotiline (Ludiomil). These drugs vary in the degree to which they affect reuptake of the two neurotransmitters. Also, some are sedating while others are alerting. The patient must take the drug for about 2 to 3 weeks before the full therapeutic effect is established.

An older group of antidepressants is the monoamine oxidase inhibitorsisocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), and tranylcypromine (Parnate). These drugs inhibit monoamine oxidase, the enzyme that breaks down norepinephrine and serotonin released at nerve synapses. They are not as widely used as the tricyclic antidepressants because serious cardiovascular side effects (hypertension, headache, stroke syndrome) can occur when tyramine is ingested, and foods containing tyramine, such as cheese, certain beans, beer, and wine, must be avoided by patients taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors.

A third class consists of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which inhibit reuptake of serotonin without affecting reuptake of norepinephrine. This group includes fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft). Drugs in this group are as effective as the tricyclic antidepressants but have fewer side effects. The most significant adverse reaction seen with this group is agitation, which can be lessened by decreasing the dose. Weight gain and sexual dysfunction may also occur.

an′ti·de·pres′sant, an′ti·de·pres′sive (-prĕs′ĭv) adj.

A medication used to relieve the symptoms of clinical depression.

A. Yes. You can try Chinese Medicines not only for headache but also for depression. Chinese medicine can help cure depression and they will not show any side effects. But headaches can be treated by Chinese medicines. Just meet the doctor and tell him the problem. She will be fine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYsN-FiceXA&eurl=http://www.imedix.com/health_community/vGYsN-FiceXA_acupuncture_chinese_medicine?q=depression%20chinese%20medicine&feature=player_embedded

A. Hi, I felt so when depressed. Later I tried psychotherapists and psychologists and that has really helped me to come out from depression. You need to exercise regularly to keep you fit and healthy. All the best!

A. Mark, you really need to consult your doctor. I hope you're not relying totally on the Internet for medical advice. Side effects are common with most drugs, and some are more tolerable than others. "Extremely blurry" eyes seems like it could affect your driving, as cbellh47 wrote, but many other things as well.

Sometimes it does take many, many attempts to discover an anti-depressant or a combination of more than one to achieve a better mood balance. We're all chemically different and react to drugs differently. There's many options and I had to endure years of experimentation before I was satisfied, but I now have the rest of my life to appreciate what I went through.

I also used the help of different doctors and psychiatrists, as well as self-learning. If your doctor doesn't seem to be beneficial, consider asking him/her to recommend a specialist. New treatments come to light regularly and not all docotrs are wise to them.

Just yesterday (01.20.09) a new, control