Medications

Medications have a wide variety of uses in psychiatry. The gold standard for treatment of major depression is medication and therapy. There are four major classifications of medications used to treat depression. They include antidepressants, mood stabilizers, anti-psychotics, and anti-anxiety medications.

Most antidepressants used today include the serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (Cymbalta and Effexor).
The other main class of medications to treat depression are the serotonin reuptake inhibitors (Prozac, Zoloft, Lexapro, Paxil).

 

 

Mood stabilizers are used to treat bipolar disorder and sometimes are used to augment the antidepressants in a treatment resistant depression. Lithium, Depakote, Lamictal, Tegretol and Topamax).

The antipsychotic medications most frequently used are Seroquel, Risperdal, Geodon, and Zyprexa.

The anti-anxiety medications can be addictive and lose their effectiveness overtime. These medications include Xanax, Klonopin, and, Ativan.

All medications have potential adverse side effects. Ask your practitioner for specific side effects if you start a medication.

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Medications

There are four major classifications of medications used in psychiatry. They include the antidepressants, mood stabilizers, anti-psychotics, and anti-anxiety medications.