How to Treat Depression With SSRI Medication

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most frequently prescribed type of antidepressant medication in the United States. While SSRI medication was developed primarily to treat depression, it can also be used for obsessive-compulsive disorders, eating disorders, panic and anxiety disorders, chronic pain syndromes and irritable-bowel syndrome. By carefully weighing your options with your mental-health professional, you can effectively treat your depression with SSRI medication.

Things You'll Need

• Mental-health professional, such as a psychiatrist
• SSRI medication

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Instructions

Treat Depression With SSRI Medication

• 1

  Ask your mental-health professional whether taking an SSRI medication to treat depression is the right choice for you. SSRI medications, including Zoloft, ****, Lexapro and Celexa are among the most widely prescribed drugs in the world, with tens of millions of patients using them in the United States alone.

• 2

  Learn the risks and side effects of using SSRI medication to treat your depression. Side effects include sexual dysfunction (reduced sexual drive, erectile dysfunction and inability to reach orgasm), dry mouth, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, nightmares, weight loss or gain, dizziness and drowsiness. Note that these symptoms usually occur in the first few weeks, as the body gets used to processing the medication.

• 3

  Watch for an adverse reaction to taking SSRI medication, which may materialize as increased feelings of depression and suicide. If this occurs, you should contact your mental-health professional immediately. You may be advised to discontinue the medication or adjust the dosage.

• 4

  Start an exercise regimen when you treat your depression with SSRI medication. There are many natural ways to raise serotonin levels in the brain in the same way accomplished by SSRI antidepressants, including yoga, tai chi, stretching exercises and walking. In addition, daily exposure to sunlight also increases serotonin levels, so exercise outdoors if you can.

• 5

  Proceed with caution if you decide to adjust or discontinue use of SSRI medications to treat your depression. This could result in severe withdrawal symptoms, known collectively as discontinuation syndrome, that include a return of depressed and even suicidal feelings. Dosages should be progressively reduced over a few weeks to minimize this effect.