Six golden flowers for fighting depression

The so-called six golden flowers of antidepressants refer to some antidepressant drugs. Depression is a relatively common disease. In recent years, the number of patients with depression in my country has also been on the rise. This is particularly harmful to the patients' mental and physical health. Once depression is found, you should go to the hospital for examination in time and treat it with drugs. There are many drugs in this regard, and you must treat the symptoms.

1. Fluoxetine (Prozac)

Fluoxetine is mainly used for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and can be used as a treatment for bulimia nervosa. Fluoxetine has a slow onset of effect, and some patients even took 6 weeks to see results.

Studies have shown that fluoxetine can easily cause headaches, nausea and insomnia, and has a greater impact on sexual function. Therefore, fluoxetine is not suitable for patients with insomnia. Discontinuation of fluoxetine usually produces withdrawal symptoms, such as dizziness, sensory disturbances, sleep disorders, fatigue, etc. Therefore, when fluoxetine treatment needs to be stopped, it is recommended to gradually reduce the dose.

Fluoxetine should be taken in the morning.

2. Paroxetine (Ceroxetine)

Paroxetine can treat various types of depression, and is more effective for depression accompanied by anxiety and reactive depression.

The usual dose of paroxetine is 20 mg/day. The dose is adjusted based on the patient's response and can be increased by 10 mg per week. According to foreign experience, the maximum daily dose can reach 50 mg.

Similarly, when stopping the medication, the dosage should be gradually reduced each week. Patients should be treated long enough to consolidate the effects, and treatment should be maintained for at least several months after depression is resolved.

Paroxetine has a mild anticholeretic effect and is the only antidepressant among SSRIs that has anticholeretic effects. Paroxetine is not easy to cause excitability and is a better choice for people with insomnia. Paroxetine should be taken in the morning.

3. Sertraline (Zoloft)

Sertraline is indicated for the treatment of symptoms associated with depression, including depression with or without a history of mania, associated with anxiety. Sertraline is suitable for people who lack a sense of pleasure and has relatively little inhibition on movement and alertness. Sertraline is particularly suitable for women and the elderly.

Since sertraline has a dopamine reuptake inhibitory effect, it has less effect on sexual function.

Sertraline is taken once daily, either in the morning or evening.

4. Fluvoxamine (Blue Release)

Fluvoxamine is the only sedative serotonin reuptake inhibitor and is often used to treat patients with depression who also have anxiety and insomnia. Therefore, fluvoxamine is suitable for taking at night, as it can promote sleep.

Because fluvoxamine has a weak effect in blocking serotonin resorption, higher doses (more than 100 mg/d) are often required to be effective.

Fluvoxamine has the lowest rate of sexual dysfunction among SSRIs.

5. Citalopram (Citalopram)

Citalopram has almost no affinity for receptors other than 5-hydroxytryptamine, is highly selective, and has relatively few side effects. Citalopram is superior to amitriptyline in the treatment of depression. It has an early onset of effect, few and mild adverse reactions, especially less cardiovascular effects. It is a safe and effective antidepressant.

Citalopram is a once-daily dose that can be taken at any time of the day, regardless of food intake.

6. Escitalopram

Escitalopram is a highly potent, selective, and dose-dependent inhibitor of SERT, inhibiting the reuptake of 5-HT in the presynaptic membrane of nerve terminals in the central nervous system.

Escitalopram has a rapid onset of action, with significant efficacy and marked improvement of symptoms after just one weekend of treatment.

Escitalopram, as a new antidepressant, has just been launched in my country and needs further verification and exploration in clinical practice.