J Korean Med Assoc.  2003 Jan;46(1):69-75. 10.5124/jkma.2003.46.1.69.

Pharmacological Treatment of Depression

• Lee MS

• KMID: 2183067
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2003.46.1.69

Abstract

This paper is to summarize the specific form of pharmacological treatments that have been developed to deal with depressive disorder. Specific antidepressants including monoamine oxidase inhibitors(MAOIs), tricyclic antidepressants(TCAs), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors(SSRIs), norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake blockers(NDRIs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), serotonin-2 antagonist/reuptake inhibitors (SARI), noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant (NaSSA) and selective serotonin reuptake enhancer (SSRE) are reviewed. There are several side effects of antidepressants that should be considered, such as dizziness, sedation, anticholinergic effect, weight gain, sexual dysfunction, cardiovascular effect, insomnia, anxiety, etc. Treatment courses of depressive disorder can be divided into remission in acute phase, continuation phase, and maintenance period, so that medication of antidepressants should be optimized for each phases.

Keyword

Depression; Pharmacological Approach; Side effects

MeSH Terms

Antidepressive Agents
Anxiety
Depression*
Depressive Disorder
Dizziness
Dopamine
Monoamine Oxidase
Norepinephrine
Serotonin
Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders
Weight Gain
Antidepressive Agents
Dopamine
Monoamine Oxidase
Norepinephrine
Serotonin