Other Depression Medications
Fortunately, there are many medications available to treat
depression. There are no other medications, however, that work exactly the way
Wellbutrin does. Some of these
antidepressant medications include:
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
SSRIs are usually very effective at treating depression and do not usually have many serious side effects. They work by increasing the level of serotonin available for cells of the brain. These antidepressant medications can 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 can include:
Milnacipran (
Savella™) is an SNRI that is not approved for the treatment of depression (although it may be used
off-label for this purpose).
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 only used if other medications for depression have not been effective. Some examples of MAOIs include:
Tricyclic Antidepressants
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 -- though stimulants are not approved for this use.
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