Depression
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Prozac Alternatives (Cont.)

Therapy as a Prozac Alternative

Many forms of psychotherapy, including some short-term therapies (10 to 20 weeks), can help people with depression. "Talk" therapies help patients gain insight into and resolve their problems through verbal exchange with the therapist, sometimes combined with "homework" assignments between sessions. Behavioral therapists help patients learn how to obtain more satisfaction through their own actions and how to unlearn the behavioral patterns that contribute to or result from their depression.
 
(Click Psychotherapy for Depression to learn more about this depression treatment option.)
 

Other Depression Medications

Fortunately, there are many medications available to treat depression. These depression medications include:
 
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
Prozac is an SSRI. SSRIs are usually very effective at treating depression and usually do not have many serious side effects. They work by increasing the level of serotonin available for cells of the brain. In addition to Prozac, these medications include:
 
Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors
These antidepressants are very similar to SSRIs, except that they also affect norepinephrine (another chemical in the brain). SNRIs used to treat depression include:
 
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 include:
 
Tricyclic Antidepressants
Tricyclic antidepressants are another older class of antidepressants. Due to certain side effects, they are generally not recommended for elderly people. Tricyclic types of depression medicine 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, although stimulants are not approved for this use.
 
(Prozac Alternatives Continued: Page 3)

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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;