Which Is The Best SSRI Anti-Depressant Drug?
SSRI drugs are those that belong to the 'selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor' family.
They are considered the most efficient treatment for depression and anxiety disorders in a majority of patients and have also proved useful in treatment of other conditions such as panic disorders, nervosa, bulimia, pre-menstrual disorders, hot flashes, and other medical conditions.
However, since there are quite a few SSRIs available in the market, the question that naturally arises is: which is the best? Well-known SSRIs: The following are the SSRIs widely prescribed in the US: * Lexapro (generic name: escitalopram) - manufactured by Forest Laboratories * Celexa (citalopram) - manufactured by Forest Laboratories * Luvox (fluvoxamine maleate - manufactured by Solvay * Paxil (paroxetine) - manufactured by Smith Kline Beecham * Zoloft (sertraline) - manufactured by Pfizer * Prozac (fluoxetine) - manufactured by Eli Lilly Mechanism of action: All SSRIs improve the availability of serotonin in the neuronal cells.
Since serotonin is the mood-influencing neurotransmitter, improvement in its availability in the brain cells (particularly in the mid-brain and the hypothalamus) alleviates depression and anxiety.
Serotonin is also called 5-Hydroxytryptamine or 5-HT.
Which is the best: All SSRIs work in the same way.
Their efficacy is decided by the quickness of action and intensity of side-effects (such as headaches, nausea, gastrointestinal upsets, sexual dysfunction, skin rash, etc).
The side-effects of all SSRIs are manageable and they disappear as treatment tapers off.
The SSRIs differ in terms of the time taken for onset of healing action and intensity of side-effects.
Lexapro is usually the fastest in terms of onset of action (around two weeks) though complete healing takes much longer - several months to a year or more.
SSRIs don't have universal effects and side-effects.
Therapeutic action and undesired side-effects are unpredictable, leading the doctor to switch some patients from one SSRI to another, or even to an anti-depressant of another class, such as tricyclics.
Given the unpredictability of desired effects and side-effects of the different SSRIs, the question "which is the best SSRI?" has no definitive answer.
Usually, any SSRI can be prescribed to adults between 18-50 years of age if they are physically healthy and are not taking any other medicines.
For children and elderly patients, doctors usually discriminate because patients in these age-groups have more delicate physiological systems and, particularly in case of elderly patients, are likely to have an existing medical condition and to be taking some other medication too.
SSRIs are also suspected to cause bone loss in elderly patients, though this is not yet confirmed.
To conclude, many doctors have their 'favorite SSRI' based on their past patients' experiences, and they deviate from the favorite only when it fails to exert the desired effect on a particular patient.
It's often a trial-and-error!
They are considered the most efficient treatment for depression and anxiety disorders in a majority of patients and have also proved useful in treatment of other conditions such as panic disorders, nervosa, bulimia, pre-menstrual disorders, hot flashes, and other medical conditions.
However, since there are quite a few SSRIs available in the market, the question that naturally arises is: which is the best? Well-known SSRIs: The following are the SSRIs widely prescribed in the US: * Lexapro (generic name: escitalopram) - manufactured by Forest Laboratories * Celexa (citalopram) - manufactured by Forest Laboratories * Luvox (fluvoxamine maleate - manufactured by Solvay * Paxil (paroxetine) - manufactured by Smith Kline Beecham * Zoloft (sertraline) - manufactured by Pfizer * Prozac (fluoxetine) - manufactured by Eli Lilly Mechanism of action: All SSRIs improve the availability of serotonin in the neuronal cells.
Since serotonin is the mood-influencing neurotransmitter, improvement in its availability in the brain cells (particularly in the mid-brain and the hypothalamus) alleviates depression and anxiety.
Serotonin is also called 5-Hydroxytryptamine or 5-HT.
Which is the best: All SSRIs work in the same way.
Their efficacy is decided by the quickness of action and intensity of side-effects (such as headaches, nausea, gastrointestinal upsets, sexual dysfunction, skin rash, etc).
The side-effects of all SSRIs are manageable and they disappear as treatment tapers off.
The SSRIs differ in terms of the time taken for onset of healing action and intensity of side-effects.
Lexapro is usually the fastest in terms of onset of action (around two weeks) though complete healing takes much longer - several months to a year or more.
SSRIs don't have universal effects and side-effects.
Therapeutic action and undesired side-effects are unpredictable, leading the doctor to switch some patients from one SSRI to another, or even to an anti-depressant of another class, such as tricyclics.
Given the unpredictability of desired effects and side-effects of the different SSRIs, the question "which is the best SSRI?" has no definitive answer.
Usually, any SSRI can be prescribed to adults between 18-50 years of age if they are physically healthy and are not taking any other medicines.
For children and elderly patients, doctors usually discriminate because patients in these age-groups have more delicate physiological systems and, particularly in case of elderly patients, are likely to have an existing medical condition and to be taking some other medication too.
SSRIs are also suspected to cause bone loss in elderly patients, though this is not yet confirmed.
To conclude, many doctors have their 'favorite SSRI' based on their past patients' experiences, and they deviate from the favorite only when it fails to exert the desired effect on a particular patient.
It's often a trial-and-error!
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