Movies, delicious chocolate, spirits - these are the methods that Russians resort to instead of antidepressants. On the one hand, it’s good that in our society it’s not accepted just a little - grabbing pills, but on the other ...
Today we have many good antidepressants: both strong and light. They quickly relieve stress, allow you to think in a stressful situation, direct your efforts not at experiencing, but at solving problems, activate brain activity, eliminate the effects of stress, and increase the general mood background.
Such an ambulance is necessary in critical circumstances, until they have led our nervous system to exhaustion, and us, if not suicide, then to a mental disorder. Psychotropic drugs are, of course, evil, but sometimes you have to choose the least of two evils (when the risk justifies the benefit). Those. only in case of severe and prolonged depression.
So, choose the best antidepressant.
Fluoxetine
Until 2008, fluoxetine was the most common. In capsules or in solution, he struggled with depression, a sense of fear, relieved tension and anxiety, effectively helped mental patients (endogenous depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders, alcoholism, anxiety disorders, phobias, autism, dysthymia, affective disorders, panic attacks, narcolepsy, catalepsy, sleep disturbances, kleptomania, schizophrenia). With severe depression, relief came after 3 weeks of admission.
Fluoxetine has earned the title of "best antidepressant," because it was one of the first, and today it is the most studied psychotropic substance. But it has many side effects. One can even be called positive - weight loss (useful for patients with bulimia nervosa). Among other effects: headache, lethargy, asthenia, insomnia, anxiety, muscle twitching, disorders of thinking, hallucinations, paranoia, psychosis, manifestation of suicidal tendencies, coma. And this is only from the side of the nervous system. An overdose and combination with other drugs is also dangerous without careful familiarization with the instructions.
Do not take fluoxetine for patients with diabetes mellitus, with liver and kidney failure, epilepsy, suicidal mood (it will not help), atony of the bladder, angle-closure glaucoma, prostatic hypertrophy. It is not recommended to use after myocardial infarction, with cirrhosis. It is contraindicated for children, and pregnant women are prescribed only as a last resort.
The Truth About Antidepressants
Fluoxetine as an active ingredient laid the foundation for a large pharmaceutical company manufacturing psychotropic drugs: the first antidepressant in the modern sense of this concept was the drug Prozac based on fluoxetine. Until today, it is the best antidepressant for most consumers and the most common, but its actions have to wait a long time (after 2 weeks of taking). Later, at the beginning of the 21st century, other drugs with different chemical structures were developed.
But so far, each of them causes a number of side effects, including suicidal tendencies. Side effects are manifested in all, without exception, but in varying degrees of severity and only the first time of admission (from 3 days to 2 weeks). In addition, pharmacists have found a way to correct the side effects of psychotropic drugs with other drugs. The so-called withdrawal syndrome is also manifested within 2 weeks after stopping the use of antidepressants (this effect is not observed in all drugs, increases with prolonged use).
Assortment and Availability
The largest manufacturers of antidepressants are American companies. They created and widely use drugs Zoloft (from the same group as Prozac), Effexor, Luvox (from the Prozac group), Remeron. And if they are widely used in the USA, then in Russia psychiatrists (only they have the right to prescribe antidepressants) prefer to prescribe tranquilizers - with an even stronger effect on the human body. Antidepressants go to Russian clinics, but not to the patients of psychiatrists who really need them.
The best of the best
Did pharmacists manage to reduce the number of side effects and reduce the main danger when taking antidepressants - suicide? Hardly ever. But from the entire spectrum you can choose a special, light antidepressant (for example, Moclobemide, Coaxil, Trimipramin). Of the really helpful, well-studied (but at the same time dangerous), it is worth highlighting Imipramin, Ami- and Nortriptyline. Side effects in the production of new drugs were reduced to dizziness, drowsiness, weight gain (Remeron), lethargy, and a decrease in pressure.
All drugs are issued at the pharmacy only by prescription. Especially such as the most powerful antidepressant - Amitriptyline. To get one in Russia, you need to get an appointment with a specialist in a neuropsychiatric dispensary.
Superstition and the inaccessibility of psychotropic drugs have led people to widely use over-the-counter natural-based sedatives: Tenoten, Gelarium Hypericum, Fenebut, Novopassit, Walfen and others.
The rules for taking antidepressants
So far, one single best antidepressant has not been named. And all because they are all different. Each patient needs an individual selection of the drug. Here you can’t do without the help of a psychiatrist. And even with her, it can take years to find the right drug for you that really takes you out of a protracted and serious depression.
To make this happen faster, follow a number of rules.
- Taking antidepressants should be combined with psychotherapy.
- Start gradually and also stop.
- If no improvement occurs within a month, the drug should be replaced.
- Be patient, treating severe depression is a long and difficult process.