Costs for commonly-prescribed antidepressants vary from $32 to more than $200 per month. This report shows how you can save $100 a month ($1,200 a year) or more if you have to take an antidepressant.

Antidepressants can improve the symptoms of depression, but they can also have serious side effects. You may not need one. A thumbnail guide:

• If you are feeling “down” or “blue” — for example, in the wake of a stressful life event such as the death of a loved one, divorce or job loss — you may have mild depression. That’s especially likely if you are still able to work and function and have no history of depression. Your symptoms may resolve on their own, aided by family support, professional counseling, or psychotherapy — and without the need of an antidepressant.
• If you are not functioning well, and your symptoms (see page 6 of the full report) have lasted three weeks or longer, you are more likely to be a candidate for taking an antidepressant. That is especially true if there is no apparent reason for you to be in the doldrums, or if you have had repeated episodes of depression.

Use the information in this report to enhance your understanding of whether an antidepressant might be right for you, and if so, which one. Then talk with your doctor or a mental health professional. Bear in mind that individual needs vary and people respond to antidepressants quite differently. Some people have to try two or three before one works.

Your doctor may not be aware of price differences between medicines, and be cautious if he or she offers you a free sample of an antidepressant that’s the only one on hand in the office. It may not be the right drug for you.

Taking effectiveness, safety, side effects and cost into account, we have chosen three Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs as initial options to consider for depression:

• Generic fluoxetine at a dose of 10 mg or 20 mg taken once a day, at a cost of $32 to $37 a month.
• Generic citalopram at a dose of 20mg or 40mg once a day at a cost of $50 to $52 per month.
• Generic bupropion at a dose of 75mg to 100mg taken three times a day at a cost of $60 to $71 per month.

These medicines are substantially less expensive than most other antidepressants, and are as effective as any of them. If you have drug coverage, talk with you doctor about finding the antidepressant that has the lowest out-of-pocket cost under your insurance plan.

Other important considerations:

• Talk with your doctor about starting with a low dose to minimize side effects. If the drug doesn’t help within 8 to 12 weeks, talk with your doctor about a higher dose or switching to another antidepressant.
• Tell your doctor about other mood, emotional or mental symptoms, such an anxiety or panic attacks. These are important in deciding which antidepressant is right for you.
• If you have taken an antidepressant before and it worked, you may want to stick with that one, or its generic equivalent.
• Tell your doctor whether the differences in side effects among the antidepressants are important to you. (See page 10 of the full report.)
• If you have frequent thoughts about suicide in the first few weeks of taking an antidepressant, contact your doctor or therapist to discuss this.

Source: http://www.consumerreports.org/health/best-buy-drugs/antidepressants.htm

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Antidepressant: Anything, and especially a drug, used to prevent or treat depression.

The available antidepressant drugs include the SSRIs or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, MAOIs or monoamine oxidase inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, tetracyclic antidepressants, and others.

The SSRIs or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors include:

• citalopram (Celexa, Cipramil)
• escitalopram oxalate (Cipralex, Lexapro)
• fluvoxamine maleate (Luvox)
• paroxetine (Paxil, Seroxat, Aropax)
• fluoxetine (Prozac)
• sertraline (Zoloft, Lustral)

The MAOIs or monoamine oxidase inhibitors include:

• phenelzine (Nardil)
• tranylcypromine (Parnate)

The tricyclic antidepressants include:

• amitriptyline (Elavil, Endep)
• clomipramine (Anafranil)
• desipramine (Norpramin, Pertofrane)
• doxepin (Adapin, Sinequan)
• imipramine (Tofranil)
• nortryptyline (Pamelor)
• protriptyline (Vivactil)
• trimipramine (Surmontil)

The tetracyclic antidepressant is maprotiline (Ludiomil).

Other antidepressant drugs include:

• bupropion (Wellbutrin)
• buspirone (Buspar)
• duloxetine (Cymbalta)
• mirtazapine (Remeron, Zispin, Avanza, Norset, Remergil)
• nefazodone (Serzone)
• reboxetine (Edronax, Vestra)
• trazodone (Desyrel)
• venlafaxine (Effexor)

Antidepressants should not be used unless the depression is severe and/or other treatments have failed. As with all drugs, the use of antidepressants requires monitoring for side effects, and suicide should be considered a possible side effect of the newer antidepressants.

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Antidepressants are drugs whose main purpose is to alleviate depression, both clinical and mild depression. These drugs are prescribed by doctors and are used in many countries around the world. They’re actually one of the most common drugs prescribed to patients. In fact, antidepressants are sometimes given to those who are not relieve depression for a number of other conditions, including anxiety, and their anti-inflammatory properties.

St. John’s Wart Opium and were the first antidepressant medications whose properties were used to treat the disease. Both these medicines are herbal. Iproniazid was the first drug to be recognized as an antidepressant, because he was the first to be produced synthetically. St. John’s Wart Opium and are also used to relieve other effects-in particular, which has been used as a recreational stimulant. However, it is important to note the difference between stimulants and antidepressants. Antidepressants drugs are intended to alleviate the mood to get out of depression, while stimulants are not considered recreational drugs used to treat any disease.

The effects of antidepressants are widely studied. Many antidepressants have side effects which can be quite serious. Others, especially those that are newly created, had no great effect antidepressant is not enough. Drugs must be tested for all these things. Drugs are tested using two different groups of people. The first group received the drug in the recommended dose, while the second group received a placebo pill. Both groups have said they receive the drug. They report the effects of their drugs (pill or placebo) to testers when required. When the research is completed, the effect of the drug was compared with the effects of placebo. Sometimes, placebo can have an effect on people as well. Generally, a drug must have a greater effect compared to placebo, to be considered for medical use in the future.

Antidepressant drugs are often taken for long periods of time, weeks, months or years. They have a delayed effect, and must be used for at least some time to understand their effect on a particular patient.

When patients decide to go off the drug, they may experience a setback in negative emotions. This could cause a relapse drug. In order to be independent of the drugs in the future, some methods have been devised to help patients avoid a relapse. These include using another more moderate using a drug or placebo for some time after the initial treatment.

The possibility of relapse is not influenced by the type of drug used in treatment duration of treatment. Relapse can occur with those who use drugs antidepressants.

In recent years, the percentage of people taking antidepressant drugs has increased in many countries around the world. For example, in countries of Western Europe and North America counties, the percentage of people who use these drugs to several percents increased in a period of 5 or more years. Typically, it is considered that this effect is taking place because people are more informed about depression and are more susceptible to treatment.

The choice of antidepressant is generally governed by the effects of a particular drug. When a doctor and patient choose an antidepressant drug that will attempt to minimize the side effects more severe and maximize the benefits. Many patients may go through a trial-and-error process to find the right drug for them.

Antidepressant drugs have been used for some time. Have been produced synthetically for over half a century and that will help many people throughout the world alleviate their depression. Drugs can be used in other diseases, as well as to alleviate the symptoms of depression. In addition, people are usually able to use drugs and then discontinue use without relapse. This is difficult to do, but can do so in circumstances.

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