Depression Medication: Should You Take Medication for Depression?

Antidepressant medication, or medication to treat depression, can be prescribed by psychiatrists and other physicians to help reduce the symptoms of depression? But is medication a cure for depression, and is depression medication the right choice for you?

Treatment for Depression & Depression Medication: Plantation, Florida via Tele-Health in the Entire State of Florida

I’m Dr. Chantal, the founder of Plantation Counseling and Wellness is Broward County, FL, When I decided to add psychiatry and medication management to our psychotherapy and wellness practice, it was really important to me to only work with physicians who are thoughtful in the way they prescribe anti depressants. Too often, doctors will prescribe medication without giving thought to the cause of a person’s depression. When psychiatrists or other prescribers do that, it usually doesn’t help people achieve the mental health wellbeing they want. If you’re like most people struggling with some type of depression, you want to feel happy and live your life again. You want to enjoy things and feel motivated, and you want to have more energy and a more positive feeling about your life. We want that for you too!

Plantation Psychiatry

That’s why when I opened Plantation Psychiatry (a boutique division of Plantation Counseling and Wellness) to serve the psychiatry and mental health needs of children, adolescents and adults, I specifically looked for psychiatrists who are interested in collaborating with our psychologists, psychotherapists or family therapists to help figure out the causes of depression, and give each person treatment recommendations that are uniquely tailored to their needs and current situation.

While you might be interested in reading my blog post on the different Types of Depression and the different Treatments for Depression, in this post I’ll tell you a little bit about the Different Types of Medication for Depression.

Depression Medications

Selective Serotonin ReUptake Inhibitors (SSRI’s)

SSRI’s or selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, are sometimes referred to as “new generation antidepressants”. These medications work by increasing the amount of serotonin available in your brain. While no one can tell you that low serotonin levels causes depression (some health care providers may tell you that but the truth is that researchers have not yet proven that low serotonin levels cause depression), we do know that increasing the serotonin available in the brain, for many people, leads to improvements in their mood. That means that they start to feel better after taking an SSRI for a few weeks.

Examples of SSRI’s include: Prozac (fluoxetine), Zoloft (sertraline), Paxil (paroxetine), and Celexa (citalopram).

Serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)

Serotonin and Noadrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRI’s) work in a way that is similar to SSRI antidepressant medications. SNRI’s make both serotonin and norepinephrine more available in your brain. Norepinephrine (also called noradrenaline) is a chemical in your body that helps to transmit signals among different parts of your nervous system. 

When your levels of norepinephrine are too low, you might experience some of the following anxiety, depression or physical symptoms:

• Headaches;
• Memory Problems;
  
• Sleeping Problems;
• Anxiety; 
• Depression;
• Attention, Focus or Hyperactivity Problems;
• Hypotension (low blood pressure);
• Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar);
• Problems with Heart Rate.

SNRI’s include: Effexor (venlafaxine), Pristiq (desvenlafaxine), Cymbalta (duloxetine), and others.

TriCyclic and TetraCyclic AntiDepressant Medication

TriCyclic antidepression medication has been around longer, and is sometimes referred to as “older generation antidepressants”.  TriCyclic or TetraCyclic antidepressant meds act on several neurotransmitters at once.  They help to change your brain chemistry and may relieve the symptoms of depression, anxiety, OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), and and nerve-related (neuropathic) pain.

Examples of Tricyclic and Tetracyclic medications include: Elavil (amitrityline), Remeron (mertazepine), Seroquel (quetiapine) and others.

What is the Best Treatment for Depression: Medication or Psychotherapy?

Antidepressants and psychotherapy have both been shown to be effective treatments for depression, but the best depression treatment for you will really depend on your depression symptoms and seems to have caused your depression symptoms. After you doctor has had an opportunity to meet with you and fully assess your case, he/she will explain different depression treatment options to you and make some recommendations based on their experience treating depression.

Book your initial new patient appointment, or send us an email to get in touch with our Clinical Coordinator.

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Am I Depressed? 6 Signs You Should Know About

Signs You Have Depression or Anxiety

There are many types of depression and depression symptoms can vary.  Depression and anxiety are very common and there are several different ways that we can help with depression. 

Here are 6 Signs or Symptoms of Clinical Depression You Should Know About:

1. You’ve been feeling down or irritable.
2. You don’t enjoy things much anymore or feel much joy.
3. You are struggling to concentrate.
4. You are tired; your energy levels are depleted.
5. Your sleeping or eating patterns have changed.
6. You have feelings of guilt or worthlessness.

While not everyone with depression will experience these symptoms, if you haven’t felt happy or felt like yourself lately, our team of mental health professionals can help you figure out what’s going on and what to do about it.

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How to Talk About Your Mental Health – Asking For Mental Health Help

Taking Good Care of Yourself by Getting Mental Health Help

Coming to a psychotherapy or psychiatry appointment can feel a little scary to most people. After all, most of us were taught at some point in their lives that we were supposed to deal with our mental health problems and emotional or relationship problems on our own. But that is not true! In fact, successful people use the services of therapists, psychologists, counselors, coaches, and psychiatrists on a regular basis. That’s what helps them lead healthy, happy, and successful lives.

We love this Ted Talk about good mental health, preventative mental health care, and get mental health help:

 

There are lots of reasons to see a psychiatrist or therapist. Here are a few signs that working with our elite team of mental health professionals would benefit you.

Signs of Mental Health Problems

1. You’ve been feeling low or irritable;
2. You find yourself worrying a lot.
3. You feel sad or cry often.
4. You feel sort of numb.
5. You’ve lost interest in activities that you used to enjoy.
6. You’ve been socializing less and spending more and more time alone.
7. You avoid things that make you uncomfortable or scare you.
8. You’re fighting with your kids, your romantic partner, or other family members.
9. You feel like no one cares about you.
10. You have difficulty sleeping / insomnia or are sleeping too much.
11. Your are using drugs or alcohol to sleep, to feel good and have fun, or to escape unpleasant feelings or thoughts.
12. You have difficulty relaxing.
13. You have difficulty focusing or concentrating.
14. You have difficulty starting or completing tasks.
15. Your thoughts feel confused.
16. You are experiencing sexual problems.
17. You’ve experienced a major life transition, loss or grief.
18. You think about suicide.
19. You feel angry often.
20. You feel frustrated often.

Most people who receive psychotherapy and other mental health treatment services report that their symptoms either significantly decrease or go away. And most people who receive  psychiatric care or psychotherapy/counseling report a high level of satisfaction with the service and with their clinician.

Recently, Senator John Fetterman from Pennsylvania checked himself into Walter Reed Medical Center to receive treatment for clinical depression. He is setting a great example for all of us! Making sure that the emotional and mental parts of ourselves are healthy and well cared for is not only a great thing to do for ourselves, but it’s the best thing we can do for our children, spouses, friends, and family.

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