Antidepressant medications include selective 5-hydroxytryptamine reuptake inhibitors, 5-hydroxytryptamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, noradrenergic and specific 5-hydroxytryptamine antidepressants, tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. The medication should be used in accordance with the doctor’s instructions.
First generation antidepressants are tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Currently, tricyclic antidepressants are the second-line drugs.
Newer antidepressants include selective 5-hydroxytryptamine reuptake inhibitors, 5-hydroxytryptamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, and noradrenergic and specific 5-hydroxytryptaminergic antidepressants, which are more advantageous in terms of safety, tolerability, and ease of administration, and are currently the drugs of choice in clinical practice.
Among them, selective 5-hydroxytryptamine reuptake inhibitors are the most commonly used one, such as citalopram, paroxetine, sertraline and so on.
Common adverse reactions to antidepressants are dry mouth, nausea, diarrhea, insomnia, etc., which can be gradually reduced by taking the drug for a long period of time, and the serious adverse reaction is 5-hydroxytryptamine syndrome, with fever, diarrhea, headache, flushing, etc., which requires immediate discontinuation of the drug. There is also withdrawal syndrome with flu-like manifestations such as anxiety and insomnia.
Use of the drug in special populations, such as pregnancy, lactation, and the elderly, is strictly in accordance with medical advice.