Antidepressant medication is one of the common clinical treatments for depression. Antidepressants can not only improve patients’ somatic symptoms, anxiety and tension, but also control the total effective rate of disease treatment to 60-70%. At present, the common antidepressant products in the world can be divided into five categories.
I. Tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants
Tricyclic antidepressants, mostly seen as amitriptyline, doxepin, promethazine and other drugs, can effectively block depressive episodes, but there will be dry mouth, tachycardia, difficulty urinating and blurred vision, upright hypotension, drowsiness and other adverse effects. Because of the large side effects of this class of drugs, they are now less commonly used.
Tetracyclic antidepressants, mostly Maprotiline, antidepressant effect and promethazine more similar, and lower adverse reactions, mostly dry mouth, drowsiness and blurred vision, in rare cases manifested as seizures.
II. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors
Common anti-phenylcyclopamine, isopropyl trap, phenylethyl callus drugs, is the traditional level of treatment of patients with atypical depression of choice, but and chicken liver, yeast and alcohol and other foods in combination with the manifestation of hypertensive crisis, and the drug should be taken during the detailed attention to such issues. Moclobemide is a new drug that can prevent hypertensive crisis and also eliminate postural hypotension and hepatotoxicity.
Third, selective 5-hydroxytryptamine reuptake inhibitors
Commonly paroxetine, fluoxetine, sertraline and other drugs, adverse effects are significantly lower than tricyclic antidepressants, but individual patients occasionally see rash and mania and other problems.
IV. 5-HT and NE reuptake inhibitors
Duloxetine hydrochloride, venlafaxine hydrochloride and other drugs are common, but the former will show increased appetite, weight gain and other conditions, rare granulocyte and platelet count reduction; the latter manifested as nausea, night sweats, drowsiness and dizziness.
V. Other types and proprietary Chinese medicines
The above four types of drugs are all western medicine treatment, although they can significantly improve the depression condition, but their side effects are also very obvious.
Therefore, more and more attention is being paid to traditional Chinese medicine treatment.
Chinese medicine treatment is often based on the specific causes of the illness. For example, Chai Hu Daxing Liver San can be used to treat depressed patients with the most common type of liver depression and qi stagnation, and Gui Bai Di Huang Wan can be used to treat depressed patients with kidney deficiency. Specific problems are analyzed, so it is best for patients to choose to consult a TCM practitioner at the same time as they undergo Western medicine treatment for TCM conditioning treatment, which can effectively prevent relapse, reduce side effects and improve the treatment effect.
Finally, I would like to remind all patients that no matter which antidepressant medication they take, they must follow the medical advice under the guidance of a professional psychiatrist and take the medication on time and in the right amount, never stop or reduce or change the medication on their own.
References.
[1] Tan Jiang. The things about depression [J]. Science of Health,2022,8:95
[2]Luo Aihua. Depression [J]. Oriental Medicine. 2020,8: 254