Skip to main content

A Closer Look at Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) in Depression Treatment


 

Decades ago, when people suffered from clinical depression, they were often given a group of antidepressants called tricyclic (TCAs) to help them feel better. These drugs had many and different side effects and weren’t safer than new drugs. 

However, things changed when a new type of medication called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) came into widespread use. These SSRIs were much safer and easier for people to tolerate.

But even though SSRIs were good news, they still have some limitations. They can sometimes make you feel more worried during the first days of the treatment. 

It also takes a while for them to work and make you feel better. Some people taking SSRIs also experience problems with their sex drive, sleep, and the overall effectiveness of the treatment is not always very strong. 

SSRIs may not work well for people who have symptoms like a lack of interest in things they used to enjoy and difficulties with thinking.

There are other medications called serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), like venlafaxine, which can work better than SSRIs for some people, but they also come with more side effects.

Scientists have tried to improve SSRIs by improving their therapeutic profile in the brain, but these attempts haven’t been very successful so far. There’s a new medication called vortioxetine that might be better for cognitive problems.

In the future, researchers hope to create medications that work more like the older and more effective TCAs but are still safe and well-tolerated. 

There may also be benefits derived from combining SSRIs with other groups like 5-HT4 receptor agonists and 5-HT7 receptor antagonists. 

So, while SSRIs have been a big step forward in treating depression, there’s still room for improvement in the world of depression medication.

Source: Cowen PJ. SSRIs in the Treatment of Depression: A Pharmacological CUL-DE-SAC? Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2023 Nov 4. doi: 10.1007/7854_2023_447. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37922101.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Light Therapy holds promise as a treatment for Alzheimer's Disease

A new article, conducted by Lili Zang and colleagues from Weifang Medical University School of Nursing in Shandong Province, China, discusses a meta-analysis of 15 high-quality trials that investigated the impact of light therapy on individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The meta-analysis included 598 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease, and it covered 15 randomized controlled trials conducted in seven different countries. Those trials were published between 2005 and 2022. Sleep Improvement Light therapy led to significant improvements in several sleep measures. It notably enhanced sleep efficiency, increased interdaily stability, and reduced intradaily variability, all of which are indicators of better sleep quality. Light therapy was associated with a reduction in agitation, depression, and caregiver burden among individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. A significant advantage over usual care was shown in reducing the severity of psychobehavioral symptoms, as assessed...

Los no fumadores engordan menos

Un nuevo estudio relaciona el tabaquismo con la ganancia de peso, y concluye que las personas fumadoras activas, no sólo las que lo dejan, engordan más que las no fumadoras. Después de cuatro años de análisis en la Universidad de Navarra, las personas que menos engordaron fueron las que nunca habían fumado.

Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus may help in periodontal disease

A new study explores how a specific probiotic, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG), might help improve the regeneration of bones in the gums affected by periodontal disease, especially in the presence of high cholesterol levels (hyperlipidemia).  Periodontal disease can lead to the loss of bone in the jaw, making it challenging for the bone to regenerate. The researchers used a rat model with conditions mimicking periodontal disease, high cholesterol, and a defect in the gums. The rats were given LGG for six weeks, and then various measurements were taken after sacrificing the rats to understand the effects. They found that the bone density, volume, and thickness in the affected area increased after the rats were given LGG.  Interestingly, these improvements were not due to direct effects on the oral bacteria but were linked to changes in the gut microbiota.  When fecal matter containing the altered gut bacteria from LGG-treated rats was transplanted into other rats, si...