Medicines for depression.
An antidepressant is a medication designed to treat or alleviate the symptoms of clinical depression. Some antidepressants, notably the tricyclics, are commonly used off-label in the treatment of neuropathic pain, whether or not the patient is depressed. Smaller doses are generally used for this purpose, and they often take effect more quickly. Many antidepressants also are used for the treatment of anxiety disorders, and tricyclic antidepressants are used in the treatment of chronic pain disorders such as chronic functional abdominal pain (CFAP), myofascial pain syndrome, and post-herpetic neuralgia.
Common symptoms of depression.
Regardless of the type of depression a person encounters, depressed individuals share many of the same symptoms. Sadness and despair are the main indicators, but the following are also among the more common symptoms:
- Loss of motivation or interest in pleasurable activities
- Preoccupation with failures and inadequacies; concern over what others are thinking
- Difficulty concentrating; indecisiveness; memory lapses
- Loss of sex drive or interest in close interactions with others
- Fatigue and loss of energy; slow reactions
- Sleeping too much or too little; insomnia
- Feeling agitated, worthless, or hopeless
- Withdrawal from friends and families
- Diminished or increased appetite
- Recurring thoughts that life isn't worth living, thoughts of death or suicide
- Significant weight loss or weight gain
A person who is depressed may display any or all of these symptoms, or, instead, mask the symptoms with a forced, upbeat sense of humor or high energy levels. Usually, the depressed person suffers from low self-esteem, loneliness, or detachment. Communication may cease or seem frantic at times. After a while, depression becomes a vicious cycle in which a person may feel helpless or trapped, sometimes coming to believe that the only way out is through death