ANTIDEPRESSANTS: BRAND NAMES AND THE MOST COMMON - ARTE - 2025

The antidepressants, known popularly as "depression pills" are psychotropic drugs designed to treat symptoms of depression, although often the health professionals prescribed to treat other problems such as anxiety, insomnia or some eating disorders.

The fact that it is a psychotropic drug means that it acts on the Central Nervous System (CNS) producing temporary changes in psychic functions such as perception, attention, concentration, mood, consciousness…

Some of the most popular and widely used antidepressants are fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, escitalopram or duloxetine. Do any of them sound familiar to you? If these antidepressants do not sound familiar to you by their generic names, they may be more familiar to you by their commercial names: Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro and Cymbata.

Antidepressants are the drugs of first choice for treating depression, a problem that affects 350 million people worldwide.

When I talk about depression I mean a state of sadness, apathy, reluctance, isolation, lack of interest or vitality that occurs in the person throughout the day and continuously over time, preventing him from leading a normal life.

Many people confuse having the aforementioned symptoms at any given time with suffering from depression, and this is not the case. If one day you are sad, discouraged and listless it does not mean that you have depression, it means that you are sad, discouraged and listless.

Remember that depression is a serious problem whose symptoms persist over time, lasting weeks, months and even years, and that it should not be confused with having a low mood at any given time.

Most common brand names and antidepressants

The antidepressants that we have mentioned at the beginning of the article belong to the group of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and to the group of Selective Serotonin and Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRI).

These two groups of antidepressants have the fewest side effects, which is why doctors choose them as the first-line drugs to treat depression.

These antidepressants help your brain make better use of certain chemicals related to mood and stress.

Next, I am going to analyze the five most used antidepressants:

- Fluoxetine

Fluoxetine, better known as Prozac, is used primarily for the treatment of depressive disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bulimia nervosa and, in certain cases, to treat alcoholism.

It is used with both adults and children and belongs to the group of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs).

Its main side effect is sexual problems and dysfunctions.

- Paroxetine

Paroxetine, better known as Paxil, is used to treat depression and, thanks to its anxiolytic effect, to treat anxiety disorders (anxiety disorder with and without agoraphobia, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder…).

This antidepressant was used a few years ago with both adults and adolescents and children, but recent studies have shown that its use in minors is not appropriate because they increase their suicidal ideas and attempts to harm themselves.

It belongs to the group of SSRIs. Its main side effects are:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Sexual problems and dysfunctions

If nausea and dizziness are among the side effects of a drug, you should be especially careful when driving. If in doubt consult your doctor.

- Sertraline

Sertraline, better known as Zoloft, is prescribed for the treatment of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and for panic disorder with and without agoraphobia. It belongs to the group of SSRIs.

Depending on the problem you want to treat, it can be used only with adults or also with children and adolescents. Its main side effects are:

• Diarrhea
• Sexual problems and dysfunctions

- Escitalopram

Escitalopram, better known as Lexapro, is used primarily for the treatment of depressive disorders, panic disorder with and without agoraphobia, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

This drug should not be taken if the person has epilepsy. It belongs to the group of SSRIs. Its main side effects are:

• Insomnia and drowsiness
• Sexual problems and dysfunctions

- Duloxetine

Duloxetine, better known as Cymbalta, is the only Selective Serotonin and Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRI) of this group.

It is used to treat major depressive episodes, generalized anxiety disorders, and pain associated with various physical illnesses. Its main side effects are:

• Headaches
• Sickness
• Dry mouth

Duloxetine is one of the best antidepressants that can be used, since it produces few side effects and minimizes some unpleasant ones (such as sexual dysfunctions and problems) without varying its effect.

Consumption of antidepressants

Antidepressants should only be consumed under a medical prescription and always following the guidelines indicated by the healthcare professional.

Doctors and psychiatrists are the professionals who have the responsibility of knowing and evaluating the patient correctly to finally decide if he needs some type of antidepressant to overcome his problem or, on the contrary, it is not necessary.

In many cases, the person who goes to the doctor in search of an antidepressant to relieve their symptoms does not need to take it, either because their depression is mild and can be cured through other ways or because their symptoms do not qualify as depression.

Some of these people come because they have just separated or divorced, because they have lost their job, because a loved one has died, due to an existential crisis…

If your doctor finally decides that you should take antidepressants in order to improve, you have to know that their action is not immediate. It can take days, weeks and even a month to see its effects and to notice the improvement of the drug.

In many cases, the person has to try several types of antidepressants and modify the dose several times until they find the one that best relieves their symptoms and produces fewer side effects.

According to statistics, only three out of five people with depression begin to improve as soon as they start taking an antidepressant.

As you can see, the beginning of depression treatment in many cases is slow, but, despite the difficulties that may be encountered at the beginning, one must be consistent and responsible with the consumption of antidepressants.

These drugs act at the brain level, so they should never be withdrawn suddenly. Although at the beginning of the treatment the effects and the improvements are slow, be patient and never leave the treatment without medical supervision.

Although it does not happen in one hundred percent of cases, antidepressants should be considered second-line treatment, that is, before consuming antidepressants, other ways of improvement should be explored, such as psychological therapy.

Here are the main benefits of psychological therapy in depression compared to antidepressants:

• It is more effective than antidepressant drugs
• It is effective in both the short and long term
• Reduces symptoms of depression
• It carries fewer health risks
• Has fewer side effects
• There is greater adherence to treatment
• Lower churn rate
• Avoid the chronification of the disorder
• Prevents relapses
• Reduce absenteeism
• It's cheaper
• It does not discriminate between children, adolescents, pregnant women, adults and the elderly
• Etc.

For these and many other reasons, psychological therapy is the main recommendation in the treatment of depressive disorders.

Precautions when taking antidepressants

Before starting a treatment with antidepressant drugs, you should consult with your doctor or psychiatrist and inform yourself about the precautions you should take before, during and after treatment.

For example, if you are taking any type of medicine, vitamin or herbal product, you should tell the health professional who is supervising your case, since the combination of these products with antidepressants can have unwanted effects.

If you drink alcohol regularly you should be careful at the beginning of treatment. I advise you not to combine both substances until you know which drug and dosage work for you and until you see how drugs for depression affect your body.

It is also very important that you know the main side effects produced by these psychotropic medications, which I will explain below:

• Weight gain
• Increased heart rate
• Fatigue
• Confusion
• Headache
• Sickness
• Nervousness
• Dizziness
• Feeling weak
• Dry mouth
• Drowsiness
• Sweating
• Tremors
• Panic
• Suicidal thoughts and ideas
• Anxiety problems
• Sleep problems (insomnia and hypersomnia)
• Sexual problems
• Blurry vision
• Vomiting
• Etc.

These side effects occur in the first weeks of treatment and diminish over time. If they do not decrease, you should consult with your doctor since the dose or the medicine may not be the right one for you.

To avoid such side effects or to minimize them as much as possible, you should start taking antidepressants in low doses.

How to stop antidepressants

These types of drugs should be left properly, that is, reducing the dose gradually and always under medical supervision. If you stop taking antidepressants suddenly and suddenly, you will suffer unwanted and annoying side effects such as:

• Withdrawal symptoms such as headache, dizziness, fainting, nausea, vomiting, irritability, anxiety, sleep problems, sadness…
• Increase in suicidal ideas and attempts.
• Return of depression.

For this reason, you should never stop treatment with antidepressants abruptly and without previously consulting your doctor or psychiatrist.

Many people stop taking antidepressants without warning because they feel better than they were at first. They believe that when they feel better they should not continue taking them and they stop without consulting their doctor first.

Despite feeling better, you should never stop the drugs for depression in this way, since withdrawal symptoms, suicidal ideas and depression may return and you will have to start treatment again.

Any changes or modifications must be made under medical supervision.

Depression and its symptoms

Depression can arise in a person due to the experience of a stressful event, as a result of an illness, due to their personality traits, due to genetic inheritance, due to biochemical imbalances in the brain…

In other words, depression can arise for many and varied reasons.

Regardless of the reason why depression develops in the person, the most common symptoms that derive from such a pathology are:

• Social isolation
• Apathy
• Low self-esteem
• Low energy level
• Diet changes (eating more or eating less than usual)
• Difficulty thinking
• Decreased vitality
• Decreased interest in sex
• Fatigue
• Suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts
• Inability to make decisions
• Irritability
• Thoughts of death
• Loss of interest in what was previously interesting and pleasant
• Weightloss
• Pessimism
• Anxiety problems
• Concentration problems
• Sleep problems (insomnia and hypersomnia)
• Physical problems (headaches, gastrointestinal problems…)
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, despair, hopelessness, helplessness, emptiness…
• Sadness
• Etc.

Who best detects these symptoms is not usually the depressed person but those who are frequently by their side (family, partner, friends, coworkers…).

For this reason, it is not uncommon for a person already depressed or in the process of depression to seek consultation at the express request of a family member or friend who is concerned about their current state.

References

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   Panamericana.

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