Drugs Used To Treat Depression - Anti Depressants - Cause Of Depression.

Cause Of depression:

Biogenic Amine Theory is proposed to explain the cause of depression. According to this theory deficiency of monoamines in the brain is responsible for depression. Hence all the antidepressants drugs increase the concentration of monoamines such as nor epinephrine and serotonin.

Drawbacks of theory:

This theory fails to explain why does the therapeutic response of drug observed 2 – 3 weeks after the initiation of treatment.

Drugs Used To Treat Depression.

As has been said earlier that antidepressants increase the serotonergic and adrenergic transmission in the brain. Either by increasing the concentration of serotonin and nor epinephrine or by blocking the inhibitory receptors (e.g. 5-HT2A receptor).

Following classes of drugs are used in the treatment course of Depression. (click for details)

1. Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors SRRIs
2. Serotonin Nor Epinephrine Re-uptake Inhibitors SNRIs
3. Atypical Antidepressants
4. Tricyclic antidepressants
5. MAO inhibitors