Depression Medication Side Effects

Depression medication side effects can be ascribed to be highly individual; meaning, their nature depends on how the user responds to such drugs.

Also known as antidepressants, and as the name suggests, these drugs are prescribed to treat symptoms which are associated with a person's mental health. In short, they help in dealing with the patient's mood disorders. They may also be regarded as mood-stabilizing drugs. Common medical disorders which are treated with antidepressants include chronic depression, severe anxiety and panic attacks, disorders related to eating or feeding, obsessive compulsive disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, bed-wetting, social anxiety disorder, agitation, manic-depressive disorders, and chronic pain. While these drugs have their own advantages of dealing with the symptoms of all such conditions, they also have their share of unpleasant and, in some cases, severely intolerable side effects. As we proceed further, all possible kinds of depression medication side effects, what have been noticed by experts would be presented for your reference.

Side Effects of Depression Medication

Before I give you the list of side effects of depression medicines, it would be beneficial to receive some awareness on the main types of antidepressants which are put to use for various kinds of disorders. They include:

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs):These class of antidepressants are usually the first choice for most doctors. The common types of drugs under this class include:

Citalopram (Celexa)

Escitalopram (Lexapro)

Fluoxetine (Prozac, Prozac Weekly)

Fluvoxamine (Luvox, Luvox CR)

Paroxetine (Paxil, Paxil CR)

Sertraline (Zoloft)

Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs):These drugs work by affecting neurotransmitters. These are nothing but messengers which carry signals to and from the brain cells. Common drugs classified as SSNRIs include:

Venlafaxine

Desvenlafaxine

Duloxetine

Atypical Antidepressants:These are called so, due to the fact that they do not have any kind of specific categories. However, one important fact about them is that they cause fewer side effects when compared to other kinds of antidepressants. Common depression medication names belonging to this class are known to be:

Bupropion

Trazodone

Mirtazapine

Nefazodone

Tricyclic and Tetracyclic Antidepressants: Although a choice for treating depression, they are not usually preferred, as much as the others. This is due to their high tendency to cause numerous side effects and symptoms. Also, their overdose can be fatal for the user. Common names to be included here are:

Amitriptyline

Clomipramine (Anafranil)

Doxepin (Sinequan)

Imipramine (Tofranil, Tofranil-pm)

Trimipramine (Surmontil)

Nortriptyline (Pamelor, Aventyl)

Protriptyline (Vivactil)

Amoxapine

Maprotiline

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs):When all other drugs fail to respond, patients are treated with these antidepressants. The side effects of depression medications in this case could be so severe and potentially life-threatening, that their use is avoided as far as possible. Common MAOIs are:

Isocarboxazid (Marplan)

Phenelzine (Nardil)

Tranylcypromine (Parnate)

Selegiline (Emsam, Eldepryl, Zelapar)

Having dealt with the main types of depression medications, this is where I would be listing down the general side effects of antidepressants. The intensity or the severity of these antidepressants side effects may vary from person to person. They include:

Anxiety

Blurred vision could be a side effect post using the medication

Digestive disorder such as constipation and diarrhea may also occur as one of the common side effects of depression pills

For women, one of the side effects of antidepressants may manifest itself in the form of an inability to achieve orgasm

Headache, which may be sometimes accompanied by nausea

Increased agitation for no apparent reason is also known to be one of the classic depression medication side effects.

Low sex drive

Pain in the abdominal region

Sedation could be a serious side effect

Sexual dysfunction, like, inability to achieve an erection

Sleep disorders

The patient may have urinary retention

The person may experience the symptom of dry mouth

Unintended weight gain

Fatigue, drowsiness, restlessness, etc., are the other side effects of antidepressants

Check out a few links provided below:

List of Antidepressants

Depression Medication and Alcohol

Depression Medications That Do Not Cause Weight Gain

Antidepressants That Do Not Cause Weight Gain

So this was a short overview on the common side effects of depression medications, which was preceded by a brief on the main types of depression drugs. The only way to cope with, or reduce, all such side effects is by working closely with the doctor, and following whatever he recommends and suggests.