Are Depression Pills an Effective Way of Combating Depression?

Taking depression pills is not the only solution to curing anxiety. Granted, it may work for some but costs, potential side effects, actual effectiveness, and others should be enough for you look into this deeper before you take them.

Depression's exact cause eludes science to this day. While on the onset, we know the emotional or the social cause of depression from psychology and sociology, the inner-workings of depression, i.e. the hormones and chemicals that cause us to change our outlook in a heartbeat have not been discovered accurately by scientists... yet.

This has led to the development of a great number of depression pills that work in certain situations, but not a miracle drug that works as a cure for all types of depression. Sometimes, these drugs might not even work for some people; however, that is no reason to not try these medications out. As always, be informed first before you try anything.

Depression Pills - An Overview

Depression by itself can stretch for weeks on end and become a problem for someone's day to day life. Medication can hasten recovery usually by promoting the production of serotonin and other 'happy hormones' as well as some neurotransmitters.

Herbal depression aids are aplenty and can be found as an over-the-counter medication. These include St. John's Wort, an herbal medication and S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe). Both these medications promote the levels of serotonin and other neurotransmitters.

5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) also achieves the same result. Fish oil such as cod liver oil and other supplements help maintain Omega-3 fatty acid metabolism and balance. Homeopathy has also reportedly worked with some people; however, results vary.

Note too that possible side effects exist with both herbal and "over the counter" pills. This is most apparent in St. John's Wort, which increases the skin's sensitivity to sunlight. (Plus, many people are allergic to the content.)

Prescription drugs are an entirely different ball game as they work directly with the neurotransmitters' function and metabolism. So care must be taken when working on a course of these depression drugs. There are a ton of medications that are usually prescribed by your psychiatrist. Usually these contain the hormones Noradrenaline (Epinephrine) or Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (known as SRIs), or the Selective Reuptake Inhibitors (knowns as SSRIs), Tricyclic Acids (TCAs) as well as Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (known as MAOIs). These are chemical agents that work on the chemicals produced by the brain to alleviate the effects of depression itself.

Most of these medicines are slow in their effect not only because they need a specific concentration to show positive results, but also because the initial prescription is a small or specific amount to test how the drug works on the patient's body. Thus, it is somewhat of a trial-and-error exercise with depression medicines as some might work on you, while others might not. Several options and factors are weighed out before the prescription, but sometimes these can go awry because each human body is unique in its preferences.

Therapy is very effective in recovering from anxiety and depression pills are usually given to supplement the positive thought exercises of therapy. For a lot of people, this is often the best way to get rid of depression.