Safest Medication for Depression

When choosing a medication to treat depression, safety is a big concern. But how each person defines the safety of an antidepressant is different. Talk with your doctor to choose based on your own priorities.

SSRIs

• Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, SSRIs, work by increasing the amount of serotonin available to the brain, keeping the user calm. These medications may cause thoughts of suicide in teens or children.

Tricyclic Antidepressants

• Tricyclic medications are more effective in treating dysthymia than SSRIs, but more patients stop tricyclics due to side effects than SSRIs or MAOIs. Tricyclics may cause heart problems or worsen existing problems in patients.

Supplements

• Dietary and nutritional supplements in themselves are safe if carefully monitored by a doctor; however their effect on depression is still uncertain. Although omega-3 fatty acids and other vitamins are sometimes used for depression, how they compare to prescription medications is unknown.

MAOIs

• Patients taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors, or MAOIs, have to be very careful with their diet as food may trigger hypertension. MAOIs can also interact very dangerously with other antidepressants, and when taken with SSRIs, MAOIs may cause Serotonin Syndrome.

Psychotherapy

• Therapy can be very useful in helping patients cope with depression; however, as depression can be a chemical imbalance in the brain, therapy alone may not work fast enough or well enough. Therapy is typically used in conjunction with medications.