Depression
Medications
Related eMedTV
Health Channels

Desipramine Alternatives (Cont.)

Other Depression Medications

Fortunately, there are many medications available to treat depression. These medications can include:
 
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
Generally, SSRIs are very effective at treating depression and do not have many serious side effects. They work by increasing the level of serotonin available for cells of the brain. Some examples of SSRIs include:
 
Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors
These antidepressants are very similar to SSRIs, except that they also affect norepinephrine (another chemical in the brain). Among the SNRIs used to treat depression are:
 
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs)
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors are a class of older medications used for treating depression. There are many serious food and drug interactions with MAOIs. Because of this, MAOIs are usually used only if other medications for depression have not been effective. Examples of MAOI types of depression medication can include:
 
Tricyclic Antidepressants
Tricyclic antidepressants are another older class of antidepressants. Desipramine is a tricyclic antidepressant. Due to certain side effects, they are generally not recommended for elderly people. In addition to desipramine, tricyclic types of depression medicine can include:
 
Miscellaneous Antidepressants
There are several other antidepressants available, including:
 
Sometimes, stimulant medications such as methylphenidate (Ritalin®) are used to treat depression when other medications have not helped. However, stimulants are not approved for this use.
 
(Desipramine Alternatives Continued: Page 3)

Pages:

Previous 1 2 3 Next

Add this article to your Favorites     Email this article     Print
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;