A new medication to treat postpartum depression (PPD) could be available to patients in late 2023. The FDA is currently reviewing the New Drug Application for zuranolone, a new approach to treating PPD and major depressive disorder.
After a long period of stagnation, in which no new classes of antidepressants were approved, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of esketamine (with the brand name Spravato) in 2019, gave hope to people who had not been responding to more traditional antidepressants.
Four new antidepressants have been recently marketed in Australia. They are the selective reversible monoamine oxidase A inhibitor, moclobemide, and the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), fluoxetine, paroxetine and sertraline.
Overall, the most commonly prescribed individual antidepressants were amitriptyline (19%), escitalopram (19%), sertraline (15%), mirtazapine (11%) and fluoxetine (7%); together these constituted 71% of all prescriptions.
Vraylar (Cariprazine) Is Approved as an Antidepressant 'Add On' The drug may help people with major depressive disorder who are taking an antidepressant but not improving. Cariprazine is thought to work by moderating levels of dopamine and serotonin in the brain. AbbVie Inc.
The original “happy pill” was fluoxetine, more commonly known as Prozac. This medication, approved for use in 1987, was the first drug of its kind to be prescribed and marketed on a large scale. The use of this medication is very common, especially for the treatment of depression, but it is not without its risks.
A second therapeutic candidate, LYT-310 (oral cannabidiol), is expected to enter the clinic in Q4 of 2023. A second therapeutic candidate, LYT-310 (oral cannabidiol), is expected to enter the clinic in Q4 of 2023.
Benzodiazepines (also known as tranquilizers) are the most widely prescribed type of medication for anxiety. Drugs such as Xanax (alprazolam), Klonopin (clonazepam), Valium (diazepam), and Ativan (lorazepam) work quickly, typically bringing relief within 30 minutes to an hour.
Benzodiazepines most commonly used to treat anxiety disorders are clonazepam (Rivotril)*, alprazolam (Xanax) and lorazepam (Ativan). Also used are bromazepam (Lectopam), oxazepam (Serax), chlordiazepoxide (once marketed as Librium), clorazepate (Tranxene) and diazepam (Valium).
Perhaps the most recognizable among them is Prozac (fluoxetine). It's still the best option for many people, but since it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1987, Prozac has been joined by a variety of other antidepressant medications.
Doctors often start by prescribing an SSRI. These drugs are considered safer and generally cause fewer bothersome side effects than other types of antidepressants. SSRIs include citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva), sertraline (Zoloft) and vilazodone (Viibryd).
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
This class includes sertraline, citalopram, escitalopram, paroxetine, fluoxetine and fluvoxamine. SSRIs are: the most commonly prescribed antidepressants in Australia. often a doctor's first choice for most types of depression.
Prozac (fluoxetine) and Wellbutrin (bupropion) are examples of “energizing” antidepressants; whereas Paxil (paroxetine) and Celexa (citalopram) tend to be more sedating.
Lithium, anticonvulsants and antipsychotics are the three main types of drug which are used as mood stabilisers.
When amphetamines are injected or smoked, they reach the brain quickly and produce a “rush,” or surge of euphoria, immediately. The effects of amphetamines are often different from person to person. Amphetamines can make people: alert, confident and energetic.
Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) cover both depression and certain anxiety disorders including GAD and PD. However, TCAs are ineffective in SAD and post traumatic stress disorder where SSRIs are required.
In general, because of the side effect and safety profile, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are considered to be the first line antidepressants. Other preferred options include tricyclic antidepressants, mirtazapine, bupropion, and venlafaxine.
SSRIs are usually the first choice medicine for depression because they generally have fewer side effects than most other types of antidepressant.
Share of the population reporting chronic depression (2019)
It is interesting that the top two countries Iceland (15.6 per cent) and Portugal (12.2 per cent) in reporting chronic depression also had the highest antidepressant consumption with 153 DDD and 131 DDD in 2020 respectively.
As per the data released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the use of antidepressants increased nearly two and half times across Europe between 2000 and 2020, with Iceland in the top spot, followed immediately by Sweden and Norway, with Finland and Denmark coming in at number eight and nine.
Antidepressants (74%, or 32.7 million) was the most commonly dispensed medication in 2021–22, followed by Antipsychotics (10% or 4.3 million), Anxiolytics (7% or 3.0 million), Psychostimulants, agents used for ADHD and nootropics (6% or 2.6 million) and Hypnotics and sedatives (4% or 1.8 million) (Figure PBS.
In addition, medications originally designed for depression, the SSRIs (Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro, Effexor, Cymbalta, and others), are also capable of lowering the underlying level of anxiety which takes a lot of steam out of this phenomenon.
The most prominent of anti-anxiety drugs for the purpose of immediate relief are those known as benzodiazepines; among them are alprazolam (Xanax), clonazepam (Klonopin), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), diazepam (Valium), and lorazepam (Ativan).