What Are Antidepressants?

Antidepressants are meds mainly used to treat depression, but they’re also given for things like:

• Anxiety disorders
• Phobias (like fear of flying or social situations)
• Eating disorders like bulimia
• Long-term physical pain (like nerve pain or fibromyalgia)

Who Can Prescribe Them?

You can get antidepressants from:

• Your GP
• Psychiatrists
• Specialist nurse prescribers
• Pharmacists who’ve had extra training

Most are handed out by GPs, but some (like the stronger or more complex ones) need a psychiatrist to get involved.

How Do Antidepressants Work?

They can lift low mood and reduce symptoms, but they don’t fix the root cause of depression.

You’ll often be offered talking therapy alongside the meds. What works depends on your situation, symptoms, and how you respond.

The Science Bit

Most of these meds mess with brain chemicals like serotonin and noradrenaline to help with mood. But the idea that depression is just a "chemical imbalance" is outdated — it’s more complicated than that.

Types of Antidepressants

There’s a few main types, including:

• SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors)
• SNRIs (Serotonin and Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors)
• Tricyclics
• MAOIs (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors)
• And some that don’t really fit into any of those

SSRIs

These are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants. They work by boosting serotonin levels and tend to have fewer side effects than older meds.

Common SSRIs:

• Fluoxetine (Prozac)
• Sertraline (Zoloft)
• Citalopram (Celexa)
• Escitalopram (Lexapro)
• Paroxetine (Paxil)
• Fluvoxamine (Luvox)

SNRIs

SNRIs affect both serotonin and noradrenaline. They’re often used for more severe depression or where SSRIs haven’t helped.

Common SNRIs:

• Venlafaxine (Effexor)
• Duloxetine (Cymbalta)

Tricyclics

These older antidepressants work on multiple brain chemicals. They can be effective but often come with more side effects.

Common tricyclics:

• Amitriptyline (Elavil)
• Nortriptyline (Pamelor)
• Imipramine (Tofranil)
• Clomipramine (Anafranil)
• Doxepin (Sinequan)
• Desipramine (Norpramin)
• Trimipramine (Surmontil)

MAOIs

These are usually a last resort due to their strong interactions with food and other meds. They work by stopping the breakdown of key brain chemicals.

Common MAOIs:

• Phenelzine (Nardil)
• Isocarboxazid (Marplan)
• Tranylcypromine (Parnate)

Other Antidepressants

There are a few meds that don’t quite fit into the categories above. They all work in different ways and might be tried if others haven’t helped.

Examples:

• Mirtazapine (Remeron) – affects mood and sleep, also helps appetite
• Trazodone (Desyrel) – often used to help sleep, also lifts mood
• Vilazodone (Viibryd) – works on serotonin in multiple ways
• Vortioxetine (Trintellix) – targets several brain receptors to improve mood
• Esketamine (Spravato) – fast-acting nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression