Pharmacological Treatment of Depression
Since the introduction of antidepressant drugs in the mid-fifties there has been a significant improvement in the prospect of treating patients with depression. It is considered that these drugs are effective in 60-80% of patients, with variable response depending on the severity of depression and the presence of other factors that may “disrupt” the action of the drug such as life events stressful maintained, altered personality traits based or poor treatment compliance. In addition to 90% of depressions respond to any antidepressant treatment.
Depression seems to be associated with the existence of low levels of certain substances in the brain such as serotonin, nor epinephrine or dopamine. Therefore, antidepressant drugs act by trying to increase any of these substances in the brain through different mechanisms of action.
When selecting an antidepressant medication should be taken into account some factors are known to experience an episode discussed earlier, the subtype of depression, the side effect profile of each drug itself and the possibility of interaction with other drugs already be taking.
You need to know in advance that all antidepressant drugs have a period that starts and begins his taking antidepressant response, time is called latency of response, and can vary between two and four weeks. The patient, in this period, and did not notice significant improvement, perceived side effects of medication, adding frustration and distrust of the efficacy of treatment. It must therefore be patient and wait for the improvement of depression within that period of time. If you can see sometimes some improvement within a few days after initiation of drug intake, but this effect is not an antidepressant, possibly due to some sedative or sleep-inducing improving issues that often occur in association with the depression such as anxiety or insomnia.